


Do No Harm

by BlueEyedArcher



Category: Original Work
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Play, Anal Sex, Aphrodisiacs, Asylum, Bondage, Bondage and Discipline, Car Accidents, Cock Bondage, Cock Rings, Do No Harm - Freeform, Doctor/Patient, Dr. Felix is an asshole, Drug-Induced Sex, Drugs, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Insanity, Just wants to go home, Kicked Puppy Chase, M/M, Male Homosexuality, Master/Pet, Medical Device, Medical Examination, Medical Kink, Medical Procedures, Medical Professionals, Medicine, Mental Institutions, Mentions of Suicide, Nightmares, Non-Consensual Oral Sex, Non-Sexual Bondage, OCs - Freeform, Oral Sex, Original Character(s), Original work - Freeform, Pleasure and Punishment, Rape, Schizophrenia, Self-Harm, Straight jacket hearts, Suicide Attempt, Unorthodox Practices, Urethral Play, Violent Outbursts, Yaoi, sex therapy, shadow creature
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-08
Updated: 2017-09-27
Packaged: 2018-12-25 06:54:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 36,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12030528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueEyedArcher/pseuds/BlueEyedArcher
Summary: A story about a young man who suffers from hallucinations after being in a terrible accident in which he died in for 13 minutes. Since a dark force has been following him and torments him. All the while a well renowned Doctor takes on his case in an institution that uses the very unorthodox and little known treatment known as Sexual therapy to cure their patients. Chase believes he's landed in a delusional hell hole while fearing the monster that stalks him in his waking nightmares.





	1. Chapter 1

“Let me out! Please!” Chase begged as he pounded against the door of the small hospital room he had been locked in a couple hours prior. The reasoning being, he had suffered injuries in an accident a couple months prior and since, he’s been seeing a shadowy figure with glowing red eyes following him around everyday, day and night. Always creeping on his peripheral vision. This led to random violent outbursts of fear and combativeness when those around him tried to intervene to calm the terrified male. But one day it had been the final straw and Chase’s family had him committed to an Asylum for his own safety and well-being, of course, this was a recommendation by Chase’s doctor after his last outburst ended with him in handcuffs after screaming and running from shadows in a park at three in the morning. Apprehended by police and with the use of force to restrain the fearful sobbing and confused male who swore the creature was going to kill him.

 

But now he was even more afraid and confused and for a completely different reason. Because he was locked in a tiny room with just a bed and a small barred window looking out onto an empty courtyard with dark rolling clouds covering the sky in a dreary grey blanket. Night was going to fall soon and from the heavy cloud coverage, it looked as if it were going to rain. He backed away from the door and crouched down into a huddled mass on his bed. His clothes had been taken from him except for his boxers and his bed hadn’t even a blanket on it. They claimed it was strictly for temporary observation. That he was unpredictable. He wasn’t unpredictable but scared out of his mind. He drew his knees up to his chest and buried his head into his arms to hide. Shivering in the cold air of the tiny room. Tears fell slowly down his face and he remained in the silence for a few more minutes until the door to his room opened.

 

Two large male orderlies in all white clothing entered the room, they both came at Chase, neither speaking as their gloved hands gripped him hard by his biceps and wrists, dragging him off of the bed. Chase barely had a chance to protest and resist as they pulled him away rather quickly down the hallway. His barefeet slapping against the cold tile floors as he struggle to keep up with their pace. Their tight grasps hurting his wrists as they pulled him into a larger room. There was a medical chair sitting in the center of it sitting beneath a large light focusing down onto the empty seat. The chair looked like it had a maneuverable build that could reposition the subject’s arms and legs, as well as change the positioning from sitting to laying down.The arms and legs had multiple straps and the leg supports for the table could easily be converted into stirrups. Beside the chair was two metal rolling carts with many tools and pieces of equipment on it. One had what looked like an oxygen bottle sitting in a side attachment, hanging on the back of the cart nearest the head of the chair. Plastic tubing ran from it to an oxygen nonrebreather mask hanging on the cart beside it. There were assorted other objects on it as well, many Chase couldn’t even name or recognize. On the other cart which was closer to the leg portion of the chair was a medium sized black box, no bigger than a tin lunch box and it had a two different sets of meters on it and two cables coming from the side. A blue one and a red one. On the end of each was a long slender metal rod, the blue was thin and bumpy. The other was larger and oddly shaped, with curves partway through and the end of it was larger than the base where the cable connected. Much like the other cart, there was a mixture of odd instruments on it and Chase only had a glimpse of it all as he passed before the orderlies forced him down into the chair and quickly attached the straps to his wrists and ankles. Another strap was fixed across his chest, just below his sternum and hooked up under his arms. The chair was rather comfortable and curved to form to the human body. But that didn’t help Chase relax anymore. 

 

He heard footsteps approach from the darker portions of the room but when he looked up to see who it was, he could hardly turn his head and the bright light above blinded him when he tried. The straps kept him firmly in place, preventing him from running as much as he wanted to at the moment. He felt a chill sweep across his skin when a voice piped up from behind him. A gloved hand caressed the sides of his head and he heard a sudden click and the chair leaned back slightly, jolting rather suddenly but only moving a few inches. Just enough to let Chase’s blue eyes stare up into a very cold and calculative pair of brown eyes. Short black hair hanging down just enough to barely begin to start covering them in a dark curtain. Chase gasped when he noticed a dark look in those brown orbs that terrified him more then the shadows that crept after him every day. It was the look of a predator who had found the perfect prey.

 

“Ah, Chase, we finally get to meet at last. I’ll be your doctor and will be overseeing any and all of your treatment here at the hospital. I have a feeling we’ll be getting to know each other rather well, and I can promise you it’ll be really soon.” The doctor’s voice was deep and held a growl edging on it as if he were a wolf in sheep’s clothing. A shiver ran down his spine as his body began to shake lightly from his fear alone. His blue eyes wide from behind his own swept dark curtain of hair. The doctor smiled, seemingly satisfied at the response. “Hm, Chase, you need to relax. I promise, I’ll take good care of you. I believe that’s enough of introductions and we can move right on to the initial treatment, after all, the sooner we get you fixed up the sooner you can go home right?” Those last words held a sick irony in them because the smile on the male’s face told Chase he was never going home again. He would never get better and this man would personally see to it that he remained right where he was.

 

The doctor moved around the chair, trailing his fingers down from Chase’s head over his collarbone and down his chest, feeling out the tense muscles wound tightly within his body. “This just won’t do. You have to relax in order for me to do my job. Here, I’ve got something that can fix that.”He moved over to the left side of the chair to the cart where the air bottle was. He turned it on, getting a soft sound of air coming from the mask still hanging on the cart. He picked it up and smiled reassuringly as he placed the mask over Chase’s mouth and nose, slipping the band over his head to keep it firmly in place. “There you go. Now be a good boy and taking nice slow deep breaths.” The doctor instructed. Chase noticed the air smelled strange, almost having an oddly sweet scent to it but it was rather light. With every breath he felt his skin start to tingle and his head started to get a light dizzy feeling in it. 

 

“I don’t feel right, what is this?” His voice held panic in it but with the lightheaded feeling, his body felt a bit sluggish and then it started to get increasingly hot. Chase shook his head slowly. “I don’t want it. Take it off. Now.”

 

“Ah, ah, ah. Chase, you listen well and you listen good.” The voice was firm and strict, strong and demanding obedience with the tone alone. “This isn’t like a normal hospital where you can decide what you want to do and what you don’t. Here, you have lost that right. You have been deemed mentally incapable of making decisions for yourself and your well-being. In other words, you have no choice. You do what I say, if you resist, it only gets worse for you. I suggest you listen. After all, it’s doctor’s orders.” Those words filled Chase with sudden dread, jolting through his body and it was almost enough to disband the dizziness until the doctor turned the dial on the bottle up a little more. After a few minutes of the gas, he turned it down real low so as not to overwhelm his patient’s system and senses. After all, Chase was new to this form of treatment and it was rather experimental. 

 

“Please, let me go. I want to go home.” Chase pleaded, his blue eyes glistening and still red from his earlier tears. His body pulled against the restraints as he looked up at the doctor the best he could without blinding himself with the light. “Please…” His voice was breathy as if he were having a hard time breathing but it was actually because of the rising heat of his body and the light headed feeling swirling around him. 

 

The doctor sighed softly with a sound of defeat which got Chase’s hopes up momentarily until the next words came from his mouth. His hands cupped both sides of Chase’s face as he spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. “Chase, you are home.” He drew away and let the words sink in as he addressed the cart at his side. Brown eyes scanning all the different instruments at his disposal. “Now, first things first, let’s check your sensitivity. That gas should be working through your system rather well by now.” A single gloved hand cupped beneath Chase’s jaw momentarily before gliding down along his chest. Both of his hands joined as his fingers spread firmly across the bare skin and twitching muscle of the young male. His eyes studying every response he could get from his patient. 

 

Chase squirmed and fought against the restraints when the doctor put his hands on his chest. “No! Don’t touch me!” He protested loudly until suddenly, two rough fingers pinched one of his nipples then the other at the same time and rubbed. Chase’s voice hitched and he cried out at the feeling. Normally it would have felt painful or uncomfortable but at the moment his skin felt on fire and every touch left a strange tingling sensation behind. Pain twisted into pleasure as his nipples were continued to be rubbed and tugged on. The pink buds a dark red as they were twisted and pinched cruelly. Chase’s body pulled against the restraints to get away as a soft moan escaped his lips. His features were flushed darkly when he realized the sound came from him. 

 

“Now Chase, if you continue to be disobedient and combative, I’m going to have to sedate you. I doubt you’d want that because then we’d have to try a different treatment. Hm... I’m thinking experimental surgery.” 

 

The doctor gave another sudden twist to Chase’s nipples, drawing more sounds from his chest. One of them being a fearful whimper as he pleaded. “Please, no. I’ll be good.”

 

“I know you will Chase. Cause otherwise your stay here could become a very unpleasant experience and you just might never get better, We wouldn’t want that now would we?” Chase answered with a curt nod. The doctor responded with a devilish smile as he released his hold on his patient and moved back over to the side cart. He returned with a pair of shears, but first checking on Chase’s breathing which had begun to shallow out from his earlier panicked state. It told him the gas was working and was relaxing the male’s body rather easily. He moved down to Chase’s waist and used the shears to cut both sides of Chase’s boxers, being careful not to clip his patient’s thighs as he easily cut away the obstructive material. Preventing him from getting to the place he desired most.

 

He growled with satisfaction when the cloth fell away to expose Chase’s half hard member and his tight little hole. He tugged the cut up clothing out from underneath Chase and chuckled softly. “Look what we have here. You’re already responding so well to the treatment. That means we will continue as planned.”

 

The doctor gently ran his fingers up along the underside of Chase’s member, eliciting a groan from his patient as the half-flaccid flesh started to perk up more. He stroked it a couple times and watched Chase squirm from the touch. In no time he was fully hard in his gloved grasp but he didn’t stop there. He slid his thumb up to the very head of Chase’s member and rubbed around the tip before pressing his thumb down into his slit. Chase’s hips jerked suddenly in response to the pleasure and pain stimulus mixing and adding to the building pressure in his groin. He cried out suddenly from behind the mask. “Doctor!” His voice was breathy and partially muffled from the piece over his face. He had a distant look on his features, his blue pools started to look clouded from the gas.

 

The doctor smiled at the response and drew his thumb away slowly, noticing the dampness from the tip and the thin white string of precum linking the slit to his finger. “I’m afraid we’re just getting started Chase. I’m going to have to fix this up before we can continue.” He wiped his glove off on a paper towelette on a nearby cart before taking up the long thin silver rod attached to the blue cable. He took a white bottle with a thin tipped spout and a clear substance inside and drizzled it onto a white cloth and coated the rod generously in the thick oily substance which Chase was having a hard time figuring out due to the effects of the gas creating a haze in his mind. The oily substance, though unmarked was lubricant used for examinations and instruments such as the urethral probe currently in the doctor’s hand. He turned his attention back to his patient and decided more lubricant would be necessary since by the looks of the rather small opening, Chase had never attempted to explore his lower extremities which was an unusual sight for most young men his age. Which he had assumed would have at least tried before. But with a glance at his tight puckered entrance, that too was untouched. The doctor chuckled at the fact that would change today. He used the needle thin tip of the bottle and inserted just the very end of the spout into the opening of Chases slit and gave only a moment’s warning. “This may be rather uncomfortable but that’s normal. Just bare with it.” Then proceeded to squeeze the bottle lightly. Even so, a rather large amount of the oily substance, at least as far as his very tiny and virgin urethra was concerned. Chase gasped sharply and groaned, his legs fighting the restraints and his hips trying to pull away but the doctor simply sighed and decided a change of position would fix that. 

 

He withdrew the bottle and returned it to the cart before inserting the thin silver rod with the blue cable. The bumpy length sliding in with relative ease, stopping up any of the escaping fluids from within his patient and going all the way into the base where it pressed up hard against the other side of his patient’s prostate. He then proceeded to wrap medical tape around the base of his patient’s shaft as well as around the very tip to hold the rod in place and prevent it from sliding out due to the constrictive pressure from the bindings. Afterwards, he wiped the oily substance off of his gloves and moved the lower portions of the chair, splitting it in half up to the seat and raising them so that his patient was spread and open for the rest of his treatment. Additional straps were fixed around his thighs, holding him in place within the stirrups. Another strap was fixed across Chase’s abdomen to prevent him from moving too much. He glanced up at Chase, noticing the look of disbelief at the vulnerable and exposed position he was now in. The doctor found satisfaction in his response, realizing he was still rather cognizant of the situation. “This is for your safety Chase. Don’t want you jerking suddenly and accidentally hurting yourself. Your well-being is of my utmost importance.”

 

Chase made a grunt of annoyance at the words, his features still rather flushed and his skin was hot, a light layer of sweat starting to overcome the previous chill that had lingered there. His member had never felt so full and it was a strange feeling to experience in such a place of his body. He could feel the lubricant filling his urethra.along with the strange rod the doctor had inserted. His manhood throbbed with displeasure at being stopped up so suddenly. Every touch from the doctor, even on his lesser sensitive body parts sent fire across his skin and added to the kindling of need for more. But at the same time he wanted it all to stop. It was strange and new and scary to him. It wasn’t right, doctors didn’t do these sorts of things to their patients. It was illegal and wrong and he knew this  _ treatment  _ was an abuse of power and authority. The doctor’s way of being able to do whatever he pleased with him and it made his blood boil. He was tempted to protest and argue but his thoughts were delayed by the gas’ dizzying effects and he was reminded of the earlier threat. If he resisted, he would be put through something much more harsher and painful. So far this was his least painful option. And the option where he can maintain some form of consciousness, even though he was still rendered helpless. Even more so as the additional straps were added to the only parts of his body he could move even a little. With that in mind, he gave a sigh of defeat and his body stopped straining against the newer restraints, visibly relaxing into the caressing curves of the cushions examination chair.

 

“Good boy. See, everything will go so much easier this way. Trust me, I’ll make you feel good again.” The doctor had a somewhat smug look on his features as Chase gave into defeat. Though he had a feeling that once Chase was out of the room and back to his senses once again that he would go back to resisting and fighting him at every turn. And honestly, he was looking forward to it. To breaking that spirit until he was just like everyone else in the Asylum. Broken and hanging his head in defeat, doing everything they’re told obediently without question and eager for the simplest attentions. Just imaging Chase doing the same so obediently at his feet sent a jolt of excitement through him, but that feeling didn’t find it’s way to the surface.It was his own little guilty pleasure and he so looked forward to that success. But first, he had to get Chase through his first  _ treatment  _ to get him more accustomed to the way of life he’ll be living from now on. For these kinds of treatments will end up being rather common for his patient along with his actual normal regiment that he will also be overseeing. Simply for the fact that Chase was his and his patient alone. So with that in mind, the doctor reached over and turned on the switch beneath the second meter on the little black box. He only turned it up to the first notch of the three and left his hand over it as he glanced over at Chase’s reaction, to ensure it was working right. To which he was responded to by a sudden strangled cry from behind the clear mask. He could see those clouded blue eyes widen just before they squeezed shut. His body tensed up and trembled. His manhood twitching in response to the steady low electrical pulses humming against his prostate deep down to the base of his manhood.

 

He hummed approvingly and took the white bottle into his hands. He poured a dab of the oily substance onto his fingertips and rubbed gentle circles around his patience’s tight entrance. Circling it a couple times with the lubricant before applying a small amount of pressure then repeated until the tight ring of muscle decided to give way inside his patient. He rubbed the males sphincter gently before inserting the tip of the bottle and giving it a light squeeze to deposit a little bit of the lubricant inside him. This dragged a gasp from Chase as the lubricant was still rather cold compared to the male’s heated insides. With the lubricant inside, he sat the bottle aside and began to generously coat and spread the oily substance around Chase’s inner walls while feeling around for his target. A moment later he was able to easily insert a second finger inside his patient and began massaging and rubbing his soft inner walls. As he slid both fingers in deeper, Chase’s body jerked again, fighting the restraints as a deep moan rumbled out of his chest. His manhood twitched as well and his inner muscles began to relax and open up to the doctor’s probing digits. A satisfied smile crossed his features as he successfully found what he was looking for. He focused his attention to the sensitive bundle of nerves near the entrance of his rectum. His fingers gliding over it, getting accustomed to it’s feel and the position of it within his patient. He could feel the electrical pulses moving through it from the other side. He began to steadily thrust his fingers in and out of Chase’s entrance, keeping his fingertips in as he drew out before thrusting back in, gaining a little more force and speed as he did so, mindful of his patient’s reactions so as not to over do it on the first time.

 

Chase squirmed in place, writhing within the restraints as he moaned and panted, his head tilting back and turning into his shoulder to try and silence himself to prevent from giving the doctor any satisfaction but he couldn’t stop himself. His body trembled, shuddering and shivering as the rod within his urethra continuously stimulated the throbbing and sore appendage. It twitched and pulsated with it’s own rhythm, small beads of the mixture of lubricant and his own seed leaked out of the slit rather painfully but pain was quickly swept away into the river of pleasure that everything thrust and pulse and touch bestowed upon his body. At one point, he was able to knock the mask off of his face as he panted against his shoulder. Tears brimming the corners of his clouded eyes filled with need. His body brimming with a static charge that bristled on his skin. He wanted, no he  _ needed  _ release but it seemed as though the doctor wasn’t going to give it until he himself was satisfied with his compliance. He sighed and moaned, biting his lip to muffle the sounds before he cried out on one particular hard and straight thrust inside him, matching the pulse of the rod. “Doctor!”

 

The doctor had fallen into a haze of his own, one filled with lust that sharpened his predatory gaze. His attention focused solely on his actions as he worked his patient into a needy mess and was rather enjoying himself if the sudden strain against his own trousers was anything to show for it. But, he was nothing but professional and wouldn’t go to such a length during his patient’s first treatment. He would wait and decide later on down the line if Chase deserved such a reward. He was broken from his thoughts at the sound of the cry from his patient, looking up and seeing the look in those blue pools. They were simply too delicious and he wanted to drink them right up. To taste the male before him and devour him.But he held back his own needs in order to address his charge’s. He gave Chase a soft smile, pretending as if he hadn’t noticed anything as he continued to thrust his fingers in and out of the younger male and even started to stroke his manhood. His gloved hand slicking up with the leaking juices as it gliding seamlessly up along the shaft. “Yes Chase? Do you need something?”

 

Chase’s features reached a darker shade, as did his erection from the pressure of being pent up for so long. The throbbing flesh and muscle straining against the medical tape and the buildup of fluids seemed persistent in trying to push the electrical rod back out of the slit. His voice was heavy and breathy as he tried to search for the right words. ”Doctor….” His train of thought was shattered as soon as it seemed to finally collect itself just as another direct thrust of the fingers broke through his attempt at speech. This time it was completely intentional on the doctor’s end of things. He enjoyed seeing Chase so pitiful in trying to gather the mess of thoughts and looking so lost in the pleasure of everything that was being done to his body. If he was responding so brilliantly to this treatment, the doctor was looking forward to the rest of his patient’s regiment in the following weeks. “P-please...I n-need-ah!” Chase was really struggling with trying to speak as the doctor purposefully attempted to break it just to see how his patient would respond. The frustration was shown as tears of desperation streamed down the raven haired male’s cheeks. Streaking across flushed skin and dripped down onto his sweat covered torso. A light sheen isted the rippling and spasming muscles that fought for the freedom to move in response to each teasing and torturous blast of pleasure.

 

“Need what Chase? Come on, you can tell me.” He said softly in a tone one would use for a shy child. He seemed to respond in a way as if Chase were holding back a mischievous little secret even though he was the one who made it harder ad harder for the male to get his plea out.

 

“Please...let me c-cum. I need to...it hurts.” His voice hitched amidst his words as his breathy pleas turned into a broken record on repeat. Becoming soft gasps and sighs. “Please...it hurts…..please…” He begged, letting more tears fall shamelessly down his cheeks. His clouded eyes glistening in the bright light of the examination lamp above them.

 

“Alright, since you asked so nicely and since after all, this is your first treatment so I’ll go easy on you just for today. But i won’t be doing that very often. Don’t want others to start thinking I’m a pushover.” This was exactly the response of compliance he had been waiting for. Seeing the male in such a pitiful needy state went straight to his own groin. He smiled sweetly as he pressed the switch, turning the rod off before he plucked at the edge of the tape and peeled it off of his patient’s manhood. He noticed how Chase seemed to watch him with such a hopeful look when his hand rose to the tip of his member. His eyes widening as he grasped the base of the rod and slowly slid it out, his other hand still working Chase’s insides with a steady thrust.

 

Chase’s body tensed up and then spasmed when the rod was removed, a deep rooted moan and cry rumbled from his chest and exploded from his lips as his head tilted back against the headrest of the chair. The steady thrusting of the doctor’s fingers working him through the shockwaves of pleasure upon his release. The orgasm rippling throughout his body, leaving all of the muscles in his lower extremities twitching and quivering from the exhaustion of the ordeal. Spasming in his hips and lower back. His manhood laid limp against his chest the mixture of his hot seed and the lubricant from earlier pooling onto his chest. Both of them hot from being inside him. His initial release ended up on the floor nearby, a mess the orderlies were going to have to clean up later. Chase’s chest rose and fell rather quickly from the sudden exertion, his limbs laid limply within the restraints. His head lolled to one side, his blue eyes completely clouded over and distant. Lost in the haze of his release. Chase’s had disappeared within the heavy fog of his mind.

 

The doctor hummed in approval at the sight before him as he withdrew his fingers from within his patient. He very carefully peeled away the gloves and disposed of them within a biohazard wastebasket on the bottom of the cart as he moved to the young man’s side. He gently caressed his head, lifting it to gaze into those distant blue orbs that were so beautifully submissive and broken. It was a look he could get used to and very much looked forward to seeing more often from his patient. His fingers gliding through the sweaty raven locks, drawing them out of his hair as he cradled his head carefully, He murmured softly into Chase’s ear, not sure rather or not he could hear him, but he wished to say it either way. “You were such a good boy today Chase. I hope you enjoyed that as much as I did. We’ll be doing that much more often on your road to recovery. But for now, rest. You’ve earned it.” He gently slid a hand down over Chase’s eyes to close the distant orbs and paged for the orderlies to return to collect his patient, clean him up and take him back to his room with orders to cloth him and give him a blanket while he sleeps. The days were growing colder and Chase had earned a little bit of special treatment.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Chase was woken up early the next day by the harsh rays of sunlight beaming in through his tiny hospital room window. They cast over his face, causing him to groan and roll over, drawing the blanket he was wrapped in up over his face to help him further burrow back into his world of sleep and for once, peaceful or shall we say, empty dreams. Empty was far better than the endless nightmares he was plagued with most nights so he relished the thought of returning to such a blissful state if only for a few more minutes. But even that wish was short lived when his mind began to grasp the reality of his surroundings and he drew the blanket back down to gaze at the blank white wall of his room. He groaned and shifted, lifting himself up off the bed with his arms supporting him and the blanket still draped around his shoulders as he gazed down at the uncomfortable mattress he was lying on which he figured he must have been either really out of it or really tired in order to sleep so soundly on such a thing. As he thought this, he realized he didn’t actually remember ever going to bed. His eyes glanced down further to look at his clothing which consisted of a power blue short sleeve shirt with a deep v-neck and a pair of long pants that reminded him of pajama pants except that the material was really thin and uncomfortable. It was really firm, almost like a papery feel. Yet another he didn’t remember doing, getting dressed. His face flushed in response to the fact his memories began to come back to him the more his mind woke up from it’s dreary haze. There were flashes of what had happened the night before but before he could submerse himself any further into his thoughts, there came a curt knock at his door.

 

Chase glanced up at the entrance just as the door opened and two men entered. One was one of the blonde haired orderlies that came for him the night before. The other was the doctor with the short black hair. His brown eyes seemed to hold a light to them today unlike the cold gaze that had fixed on him the night before. He drew the blanket round himself more and shivered, turning his eyes down as he shifted, drawing his legs underneath him indian style and then faced the men once more. The orderly held a tray with multiple little containers on it. One was a small bowl of fruit and another had a plate of bread and a paper sleeve of crackers. There was also a styrofoam cup of what looked like apple juice and a small paper cup with a little blue pill and a small circular white pill inside it. The orderly set the tray down on the end of the bed then left the room, leaving Chase alone with the doctor. “Good morning Chase. How are you feeling today?”

 

Chase shifted a bit uncomfortably before the doctor, his gaze shifting to the tray sitting beside him. His eyes mostly fixed on the small paper cup with the pills in them. They didn’t look like any of the medicine he was previously prescribed which made him suspicious and apprehensive towards accepting them. “Relax Chase. Nobody is going to hurt you here.” The doctor spoke softly as h noticed his patient’s unease. “It’s a completely natural feeling when put in a new environment.” He sighed and crouched down before Chase so he was at a more approachable position and of eye level. “We may have not gotten off on the right foot last night so let’s start over.” He held his hand out to Chase and gave him a warm smile. “Hello Chase, I’m Dr. Tristan Milos. I’ll be taking care of you from now on.” 

Chase stared down at the offered hand for a moment, blinking a few times in confusion before very slowly and rather hesitantly taking hold of it. This pulled an even bigger smile from Dr. Milos as he shook the blue eyed male’s hand carefully. He let go a moment later as he spoke. “There, see. That wasn’t so bad.” Chase drew his hand back against his chest and sat in a little more defensively, watching the doctor warily. Dr. Milos noticed this and decided it best to try and help the young man understand and clear up any sort of confusion he may have. “Now Chase, I know all this may seem very scary at first but it’s important for you to know this is all for your sake. Your family was worried about you and so you’re here so all the bad things going on can be fixed and you can go back to living a normal happy life.”

 

“Even last night?” Chase finally spoke, his voice soft as he questioned the events that occurred the night before. Dr. Milos as both pleased the male decided to speak but at the same time he seemed a little bothered by the question, hoping Chase would simply shrug off the experience or act as if it had never happened. He already had a feeling he was going to be a harder one to crack. But Dr. Milos didn’t mind that. He liked a bit of a challenge. 

 

“Yes Chase, even last night. Our practices here may seem a little unorthodox but they are highly effective in treating even the most severe cases. It’s a form of displacement and refocus. Converting the issue with your head into an energy that could be expressed through sessions like last night’s. Of course each treatment will get more invasive as it goes and will most likely be a bit uncomfortable but if it were easy, any household doctor would be able to handle these cases.” Dr. Milos explained as he rose back up from his crouched position and ran his fingers through his hair with a sigh. “I believe that’s enough for now. I’ll let you settle in a bit more before we continue. Eat your breakfast and in a little bit someone will come and get you to take you to the day room to relax and explore.”

 

Chase nodded to the explanation even though he thought it was a load of bullshit, he wasn’t much in the mood for arguing. He turned his attention down at the tray and the somewhat pitiful amount of food on it.  _ Great, if these so called treatments don’t kill me, starvation just might.  _ He thought to himself with a sigh of disappointment.

 

“But first, take your medicine.” The sound of the doctor’s voice broke the fallen silence of the room. Chase looked up to see the studious gaze of the doctor on him then looked down at the tray where the two little pills were. Chase was apprehensive to take them and the doctor seemed to know this as well as he continued. “I know it’s not your usual medication. The white pill is a muscle relaxer and the blue pill is to help with any sickness you may feel. We’ll be switching your medication to a different kind of a stronger dosage and this will help with the transition.” That was also the reason for the small and rather scant portions of food the young male was given. Hoping it wouldn’t cause his stomach any upsets before he settled in.

 

Chase nodded his understanding once more and looked down at the pills. He sighed in defeat and decided it made enough sense for the moment. But if there was any strange effects, he’d have to get creative with ditching the pills later on down the line. He took the small paper cup and dropped both pills into his mouth at once trying to calm his sudden urge to gag and spit them out. He hated the feeling of anything being in his mouth that his mind considered didn’t belong. After a bit of a struggle to keep them there until he could take a few quick gulps of the juice which he found out was apple, the slight sour flavor hit his tastebuds abruptly. He swallowed them down and shuddered with disgust. This seemed to amuse Dr. Milos as he chuckled. “I see you’re one of those types. Is it the texture or the feeling of them being in there that bothers you?” He asked with genuine interest.

 

“Sometimes it’s texture, sometimes it’s just the fact it’s in my mouth. Somedays I can’t even stand gum or even candy being in there for more than a moment.” Chase admitted casually as if he were speaking to a friend about his odd oral issues as he sat the drink back on the tray. 

 

Dr. Milos gripped his chin gently, tilting it up so he could see better. “Open.” He ordered in his strict professional tone. He waited for the momentarily surprised male to follow his order. “Lift your tongue.” He added and waited a moment to ensure Chase had indeed swallowed them. He even took his drink from the tray and opened the plastic lid to make sure he didn’t slip them down into the straw. “Good boy. You’ll get along nicely here as long as you follow the rules and do as you’re told. Now finish your breakfast. If you need anything just holler for me. A nurse will page me immediately and I’ll be here as quickly as I can.” With a final look at Chase, his eyes glossing over the male as he sat the drink back down onto the tray, he turned on his heels to leave. Shutting the door behind him as he did so. Chase heard the mechanical click of the lock when it shut tightly. He sighed and ran his hands over his face in exasperation. He couldn’t believe he was stuck in this living hell. But he figured if he played the part and kept to the act of a good honest sane person, everything would be alright and he’d be released in no time. Or at least that was what he was hoping for.

  
  
  


~Later That Afternoon~

 

Just like Dr. Milos promised, an orderly had come to retrieve him not long after and took him to what was called the day room. Which at first glanced remind him of the usual large room one would see at a nursing home. There were several large and considerably uncomfortable and worn out looking sofas and chairs all around. A handful of different tables and coffee tables with puzzles and soft cover coloring books and magazines on them. The t.v was on a low setting playing a children's movie from a few years ago. Most of the other patients surprisingly enough looked closer to his age. They were young, some looked even younger then him. There were both males and females all hanging out in this one room. Three young men were piled on top of each other on the couch in a semi-comfortable entanglement of limbs and they reminded Chase of college kids in a dorm instead of psyche patients. They were watching the television and making fun of the character with laughter and excited chatter. Over near another table was two young girls who were trying to put together a rather complex puzzle that looked like a desert oasis. It had 5000 pieces and they were halfway done and appeared to be intently focused on it. Those were the more normal appearing patients. Then there were the ones that really looked like they were missing a few too many screws. Sitting alone on the other side of the room and staring at the blank wall. Another was staring down at the floor and drooling on themselves. Chase made a slight grunt in response to the sight as the orderly placed a hand between his shoulders and gave him a light push further into the room. They didn’t speak a word to him which at this point Chase was starting to think they were all mute. Which was fine because Dr. Milos was stressful enough to talk to as is but it still bothered him not really having anyone to speak with. He certainly wasn’t going to try interacting with the other patients, not saying he was better then them but they all seemed to be in their own little worlds of comfort and ease and he wasn’t going to be the person to disrupt that and unknowingly piss a bunch of people off. 

 

He scanned the room once more and found a table that had two seats at it and looked unoccupied which was good enough for Chase. It was in a corner and gave him a good view of the entire room allowing him to sit back and watch everyone and their habits and behaviors throughout the course of the afternoon until he was made to go back to his room. Sitting down at it, he slumped over the table with his arms folded in front of him and his head resting in them as he watched the people go on with their day. Listening to the television blare on boredly or the light snickering and chatter that came from the girls as they worked on the puzzle idly. Occasionally he would get a glance from them as they started to notice his presence. Both were brunette and now that he got a better look at them, they seemed to look a lot alike, not in features so much but it appeared that they tried to dress and act exactly like the other, like a form of mimicking. He wondered if maybe that was a reason they were here or if that simply was a little quirk they did as friends. Which he assumed that’s what they were considering how close they were to each other. But that thought was broken and became a lot more inappropriate as the girls turned to face him then started feeling up each other’s thighs and hips. He turned his head away before they made to start making out which a bunch of giggling came right afterwards causing him to sneak a glance back to find they had done it on purpose to get a rise out of him. And indeed they did. His face was beat red at this point from embarrassment. He wasn’t at all pleased with being mocked like this but he simply sighed and brushed it off as them trying to make the day more interesting for the new guy. 

 

He sat back in the chair and folded his arms over his chest as he huffed, running his fingers through his dark locks quietly, turning his attention towards another part of the room when a sudden shiver of unease came over him. Running down his spine and making his body feel tight. He knew that feeling from anywhere. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and focused on keeping his breath steady and even. Trying to maintain some form of composure as the slithering sounds came right after. He knew nobody else could hear it or see it. The shadow lingering on the edge of his vision, moving and slithering. He could feel the tendrils curling around his ankles and bumping into the chair leg. He bit his lip and stood up abruptly, moving away from the corner in a hurry towards the orderly he had previously walked in with. They gave him a questioning look of confusion and seemed to stand guarded at his approach until he stopped just out of arm’s reach and spoke quickly, his voice sounding tired as he did so as he strained to keep the panic out of it. “I would like to go back to my room please if that is alright.” The orderly tilted their head to the side for a moment, thinking then nodded gesturing for him to move ahead of them. As he stepped forward, they placed a hand in between his shoulders and guided him all the way back to his room. But he didn’t relax just yet, the slithering and creeping shadow followed close behind. Moving just behind the orderly. It’s cold black slippery tendrils slithering in between their legs and trying to trip Chase up from behind which nearly worked until he began to remind himself with the familiar mantra.  _ It’s not real. It’s all in your head. It’s not real. It’s all in your head. It’s all in your head. _

 

In no time he was back to his room and shuddered as the door clicked shut behind him, locking him in with the shadowy being. But this way he could handle it with no bystanders getting hurt or anyone else seeing him completely lose it. It was safe and controlled. Or at least that’s what he told himself. But no matter how hard he tried, it never ended well when those shadows came out to play with the frantic prey before them. Chase curled up on the bed with the blanket wrapped securely around himself as a form of barrier between him and the shadows but he could feel the chill creeping across the thin blanket and worming it’s way down into his bones. He shivered and hunkered down even further beneath until he was like a child hiding from the boogeyman within. He could feel the cold pressure as the shadows attempted to try and smother him, forcing his flight or fight response to kick in as he attempted to defend himself. “Get away from me!” He screamed, throwing a fist into the shadows but they melted away just in time to let his hand connect with the wall. He cried out and cursed rather loudly as two of his knuckles connected with it, breaking the skin and leaving red prints behind on the white walls. The shadows swirled around him, the tendrils tugging at his ankles and his body, pulling on him and causing him to spin and whirl around in varying directions trying to keep up but it only made him dizzy and even more frustrated. He dropped down onto his knees and slammed his fists down against the cold tile floor as he growled. “Leave me alone!” 

  
  
  


When Chase had asked the orderly to take him back to his room, he was required to report the request to Dr. Milos. For new patients under observation such as Chase, any odd or strange requests or behavior exhibited must be immediately reported to the doctor overseeing them. At first Dr. Milos thought Chase may have simply been tired and wished to return to his quarters instead of being in the day room which wasn’t uncommon for new patients to be uneasy or easily exhausted from the emotional strain and stress the transition into the hospital tended to cause. But he was determined to check on him anyway since he would have to document the occurrence. As he made his way down the hallway with the orderly who saw to Chase earlier, they both were startled by the sudden scream of distress coming from Chase’s room. 

 

They rushed to it rather quickly, the orderly unlocking the door and throwing it open to find Chase curled up on the floor, his arms wrapped around himself defensively and his knuckles bleeding. There were several spots on the walls where it appeared his fist had connected with the white plaster that appeared as if he were fighting something but what, they had yet to find out. After a moment’s glance, Chase appeared to be calming down as he tucked himself up further in his protective state but as soon as the orderly placed a hand on his shoulder to try and get his attention, before he could even utter the young man’s name, Chase had him pinned to the floor on his back with a fist drawn back prepared to strike with a wild and very unsettling look in his eyes. Like a rabid beast was lurking just within, untamed and prepared to rip apart anyone or thing that got in it’s way or crossed it’s path. 

 

Dr. Milos pressed the panic button in his pocket, a small fob with a red button on it that sent an alarm ringing in the main nurse’s area. Within a few heartbeats, two more large orderlies stormed into the room and seized Chase by his arms but in a quick motion, he whirled on the first one that grabbed him and sent a shoulder straight into his abdomen then turned on the other just as Dr. Milos grabbed his patient from behind, hooking his arms up under Chase’s armpits and locking them back behind his head, forcing his arms up into an awkward position he couldn’t fight back with and his head was forced down at an uncomfortable angle. His hands over the back of his head to prevent him from popping it back and head slamming him in the face. Chase struggled and cursed fervently within Dr. Milos’ hold but the older male didn’t budge and his grip never loosened, in fact it tightened a little more to cause increasing discomfort and pain to try and force his patient to stop resisting. Once the orderlies managed to regain their composure, they gave him a small dose of sedative that would knock him out for an hour or two while they could get things handled and back under control. 

  
  


It was much of a chore to try and prepare an unconscious person for corrective treatment. In other words a punishment for Chase’s actions. It was easy with the fact he wasn’t fighting against them or freaking out like some patients they have to deal with but at the same time, without a little physical assistance from the subject, putting on the appropriate devices and apparel is a chore, especially when they’re pretty much a rag doll and a straight jacket is being used. It took four people, Dr. Milos, a nurse and two orderlies but they finally managed it. Placing Chase into a specially made straight jacket that was restrictive but didn’t have all the weight in it or the heavy padding which was initially needed for a regular use. Since this one didn’t need to protect them from damaging others so much as harming themselves in a panic while also keeping their limbs restrained and fixed. This one was more akin to a bathing suit in a way, made for water submersion. 

 

They placed Chase on a platform the size of a metal examination table with straps fixed over his ankles, knees, thighs, abdomen, chest and shoulders. These straps kept him firmly in place and prevented any unnecessary movement. Then they placed a small respirator over his mouth and nose, the tubes feeding through to two oxygen tanks fixed on the outside of the tank below him. The tank was like a large shallow aquarium and the water within was ice cold. This was an Ice Bath and the platform Chase was on would rise and lower using hydraulic lifts built in underneath the table. This sort of procedure involved completely submerging the subject in the ice bath for two minutes, pulling them out for two minutes then putting them back in and this action repeats three times. That being the limit before the threat of hypothermia starts to set in and the short bursts allow the body’s sense from going numb from the cold. Since the whole point is using the sudden cold shock as a deterrent for bad behavior.

 

They were just finishing up their preparations when Chase started to come to. He was slow going at first and deeply confused by everything going on around him, finding himself in a strange large white room with bright florescent lights filling it up making him blink furiously to adjust and causing his eyes to sting for a few minutes. As he turned his head side to side to try and find a better position to avoid the intense lighting, his sense started to come with him and he started to notice other things that seemed wrong. Panic filled his chest at the tight feeling enwrapping his body, causing him to tilt his head the best he could to look down, barely glimpsing all the strap ends and buckles of the straight jacket as well as his eyes catching the top view of the respirator on his face which was air tight, a low steady stream of oxygen already flowing to him with every breath making him feel a little light headed at first. He also noticed the fact he was strapped down to what appeared to be a table but he couldn’t keep his head up in the craned position, feeling a soreness in the back of his neck for some reason and having no recollection of how it happened or how he got here. As he let his head rest back once more, his blue eyes gazed up into the pair of familiar brown and his entire body tensed and his eyes widened in fear from the sudden jolt of panic shooting through him. “Glad to see you’ve returned to us Chase. Just in time too.” Dr. Milos informed with a cold hard stare down at Chase’s very much confused expression.

 

“Wh-what’s going on?What is this?” Chase’s words stumbled out and were mumbled by the respirator but he was just loud enough and the doctor was just close enough to understand the puzzled remarks.

 

“We have a zero tolerance policy here Chase. Any violence against another person here in the hospital is grounds for automatic punishment. You must understand, we don’t take too kindly to patients who harm others.” Dr. Milos explained in his cold tone.

 

“Violence? I don’t understand. What did I do? I don’t remember!” Chase shouted in frustration. The last thing his mind remembered was the shadows all around him. Swirling around his body, threatening to crash down on him like a dark wave of a massive tsunami. All he could do was curl up and brace for impact. Then next thing he knew he was here. There was a massive gap, missing time and he couldn’t even fathom where it could have gone or what may have happened during it. 

 

Dr. Milos raised a brow at the young male’s expression of genuine confusion.  _ Interesting. He appears to be telling the truth. If so he has unprovoked episodes of violence and blackouts. But that screaming we heard earlier, it was directed at someone but he was the only one alone. And the sudden request to return to his room just before it happened….can he tell when these violent episodes are about to come?  _ Dr. Milos’ thoughts were busy for a few moments, delaying his response to the fearful patient beneath him. “You attacked three different people Chase. You very nearly put one in the hospital. Luckily enough, I intervened before anyone else got hurt. Whether you know it or not, this behavior cannot go unpunished. I hope you understand that.” He didn’t even give Chase a chance to respond before backing away from the platform and waving a hand to signal for the commencement of the procedure.

 

There was a soft humming sound that came first that set Chase on edge with unease then he felt the table shift. His entire body went tense in an attempt to catch himself, the automatic reflex to grasp onto something was fighting the straight jacket but to no avail. He was thoroughly terrified as the platform began to descend and before he knew it, icy water washed over his body, quickly seeping through the clothing and the jacket to get right down to his very bones. He didn’t think it was possible to be subjected to something colder then the shadows that tormented him but this was much much worse. It felt like billions of tiny needles were stabbing him all over his body and his mind completely forgot about the respirator as he held his breath on reflex. The sudden blast of icy cold hitting his face made his breath catch in his throat causing him to start to gasp and choke. “Breath Chase. You can breath. You’re not going to drown.” Dr. Milos said in a firm voice, directing his patient from outside the tank. Chase’s eyes widened with terror as his chest began to burn and his ability to hold his breath was fading fast. Milos reached a hand down into the water and slapped him across the face. The shock of the hit compared with the icy cold was just painful enough to force the air to escape his lungs and on the inward gasp new air filled them and soon Chase fell into a normal breathing pattern. Milos release a sigh of relief, not wanting his patient to asphyxiate himself out of instinctive panic.

 

After the two minutes was over, Chase was pulled back out of the water and allowed to transition into the warmer temperature of the room. Chase’s chest heaved quickly, the tight panicking feeling continued to constrict his chest making it feel like he wasn’t getting enough air even as he was taking full breaths. Chase flinched suddenly when he felt a hand comb through his soaked dark locks, drawing them out of his face. Those cold brown eyes meeting the younger male’s fearful blue depths. Chase’s body was shaking as he was subjected to shivering fits. His breathing wavered and his teeth were starting to chatter now that he was out of the water if only for a moment. “P-p-please…..stu-stop...this….p-p-please.” Chase begged through his shivering and chattering teeth. 

 

“No Chase. This is your punishment. You’re lucky this is only your first offense. It could be much much worse.” Dr. Milos warned. Chase didn’t feel lucky. He felt miserable and prayed for it to end. For this entire nightmare to end. He wanted to go home. To be sound asleep in his warm comfortable bed in his own bedroom with books and games and food that didn’t make him feel sick or seem so damn pitiful. He wanted his old life back, before the car accident and the shadows. Before all of this hell. He was broken out of his silent pleas to whomever might be listening upstairs when the table started to lower again. He cried out in desperation as he was subjected to another painful wave of cold.Each time feeling increasingly worse then before as his body was given a chance at warmth if only for a moment, or well a warmer temperature. This time he didn’t nearly suffocate himself. As he was pulled back out of the water once more, he continued his pleas but they fell on deaf ears, to the point Dr. Milos didn’t even acknowledge them. He simply swept his hair out of his face, glanced over him for a moment before walking away. When he did he was put back under for a third and final time thought Chase didn’t know this. When he was pulled back out, he was so cold he could barely focus long enough to utter a word. And the only words he could manage were  _ ‘please’  _ and  _ ‘no’ _ as he begged in a hoarse sounding voice. His throat constricting as tears began to fall from his eyes, at first easily dismissed as water droplets until Dr. Milos drew his patient’s hair out of his face once more but when he saw the growing redness around his eyes and the fact the tears came in a steady stream, he realized the boy had reached a point of desperation. Which was good. He wanted him to feel that way. He would learn from that feeling and it showed he felt forms of guilt and remorse, even if he couldn’t remember, he was still affected by his actions and the consequences that followed them.

 

The nurse and the orderlies helped remove the straps and took Chase off the platform and placed him on a hospital bed, transferring him to a different room to be warmed up and treated for any cold temperature related issues.Dr. Milos removed the straight jacket and the rest of Chase’s clothing, and continued to wrap him up in thick blankets. He didn’t worry about restraining the boy, knowing he wouldn’t even attempt to resist and he didn’t. He did anything Dr. Milos asked him to just for a blanket and something hot to ward off his chill. The doctor used a large soft towel to dry his hair out thoroughly, even though this tasks was more suited for the lower levels of the staff, this was a prime opportunity for further building the connection with his patient and he wouldn’t pass this chance up. Chase had closed his eyes and curled up into a tight ball within the blankets as if trying to burrow within them and form a large cocoon. Even with the heating blankets wrapped around him, his patient only seemed to continue to shiver and whimper within the large pieces of warm plush fabric. Dr. Milos had sent a nurse to have a bowl of soup made and tea with herbal remedies to help calm and relax his patient. When it arrived, the doctor had everyone else leave them alone, leaving him to spend the rest of  the time with his patient in peace and privacy. “Here Chase, this will help warm you up.” He offered softly. When no response came, he reached over and gently shook the young man’s shoulder. If it wasn’t for the occasional sniffle coming from within the blankets, he would have assumed the male had fallen asleep.

 

With a soft sigh, he reached over, curling his fingers over the edges of the blanket and drawing it back to find a small looking form hunkered down within the safety of the blankets. Dr. Milos cooed at the childish sight after witnessing the strength and ferocity of the male when he felt cornered, this tiny fragile appearance was a strange and very welcomed sight. “Chase, can you sit up for me?”

 

The blue eyed male shifted uncomfortably as he was disturbed within his nest of blankets. At first he refused to meet those brown eyes, expecting the cold look but when he did finally look up, the expression within them was soft and warm like the blankets. He couldn’t understand how this man could be so cruel and distant one moment and so soft and inviting the next. He was confused by it all but as his gaze shifted from those blue eyes to the tray with two cups of piping hot substances that also smelled very appealing to his empty feeling stomach, he opened up a little more at the invitation of food. Warm, hot delicious food. Not the dry bland bird feed he was given that morning. 

 

The doctor gave him a warm smile as he repositioned himself more toward a sitting position with the blankets drawn around his naked torso to keep himself covered the best he could. He raised a hand to reach out for one of the cups but his attempt was cut short when Chase realized his hands were trembling too much and his bandaged knuckles were still too sore to grasp anything. He tucked his wounded hands up against his chest and let his head hang in pitiful defeat. This gained a soft sound of amusement from the doctor as he spoke, taking up the soup first which was what Chase was reaching for in the first place. “Don’t worry Chase, I’m not going to let you starve. Here, I’ll feed you. Just open your mouth.” He held up the soup cup toward Chase with a spoonful already prepared. Chase glanced down at it for a moment, wondering if maybe it was a cruel trick but he opened his mouth anyway to be pleasantly surprised as it was filled with the warm broth of the soup coating his tastebuds. After that he was more eager with each bite but Dr. Milos made him take breaks in between to ensure he doesn’t end up becoming sick and swapping it out occasionally with the tea to help warm him up more and relax him as well so he could sleep easier. 

 

It didn’t take long before both had been completely drained and Chase was curling back up within the bundling of blankets with a drowsy look on his face. It was apparent that the day’s events had taken a toll on the young male and he was quickly submitting to the urge to sleep with no hope of resisting thanks to the tea. Dr. Milos waited until his patient was completely asleep before rising from his seat, taking the tray in one hand while the other gently pet the now dry and soft dark locks, weaving his fingers through it gently and leaning down to kiss his patient’s head before leaving the room. Locking it up behind him and placing a nurse on observation duty with orders to contact him the moment Chase wakes back up.


	3. Chapter 3

Dr. Milos let a couple days pass to allow Chase to recover from the incident and the punishment that followed. He remained in the recovery room during that time so that the nurses could keep him  under observation and look for any worrisome signs that he may go back into that violent state once more. Of course Dr. Milos came to visit him throughout the day. Usually during meal times and to check on his status. After Chase had warmed up enough and woke up that first day. Dr. Milos was called to come and assist him with putting on a clean set of clothes since he had initially been curled up naked within the blankets after the Ice Bath. Dr. Milos was also present when Chase was given his medication and to look over and treat his wounded hands. After the first two days, they appeared to be healing up nicely and with the addition of a painkiller to his medication regimen everyday he was able to start using them in no time as well as the content and portions of his meals had increased to be something a little more satisfying for him. 

 

He was surprised when one day he was allowed meat with his meal, this being a part of his breakfast and coming in the form of two paper thin strips of bacon and a bowl of scrambled eggs. This being on the third day and what Dr. Milos would consider his last day in the recovery room. After that he could return to his old room now that it’s been cleaned up. And since he’s behaved so well, Dr. Milos explained that a few more things have been added to his room that Chase would probably appreciate a little more and hoped it would further encourage appropriate behavior and the young man’s cooperation since all of these things can be taken away should he act out anymore.

 

By noon, Chase was surprised that Dr. Milos wasn’t the one bringing him his meal, instead it was one of the nurses who did so. It was lighter compared to his much heartier breakfast. She watched as he ate the sandwich he was given which made him uncomfortable. At least with Dr. Milos, his focus was usually somewhere else or he was speaking with him so the silence of the room wasn’t so unsettling. He rushed through his meal and downed the drink he was given hastily just to make her stop staring at him like he was some strange lifeform she’s never seen before. She disregarded the empty tray when he pushed it aside and spoke curtly. “Come with me.” She didn't even wait for him to get up before heading to the door making Chase wonder if she really had spoken at all. Since almost nobody other than the doctor's really talked, at least not in front of the patients. But after getting a strange look of urgency from the woman, he hurried on behind her. He wasn't accustomed to being behind any of the staff since all the one's he had come in contact with stayed either beside him or were behind him, steering him with a hand on his back or shoulder. But she led him through a couple different hallways and corridors before they finally ended up standing in a long white silent corridor just like all the rest in the hospital, lined with many different doors but unlike all the other doors which were security glass or solid steel painted white. These ones were wooden, painted white to match the rest and with o window on it but a nameplate fixed in place beside it.  **_Dr. Tristan Milos_ ** Beneath it was a myriad of different credentials that Chase couldn’t even name, just looking like a jumbling of letters and periods.

 

The nurse didn’t even bother to knock as she opened the door and directed him to enter. She never stepped in though, staying just outside the threshold before letting the door shut behind him and scurrying off. Chase was a little uneasy as he made his way into the office which wasn’t what he had expected. Instead of white walls, the walls were a warm deep red color, what little he could see through the large cherry wood bookshelves surrounding it. There were also wooden cases with glass paneling, the shelves showing off awards and certificates and photos that appeared to be of the hospital back in the old days. Many of the photos were black and white, only a couple seemed newer and they were a yellowish shade and from a polaroid. His eyes scanned over the large wooden desk with the well cushions and curved black chair behind it and plush overly stuffed chairs sitting before it. On the other side of the room were two more plush looking pieces, a large black leather couch and a large sofa chair that matched. Between them was a coffee table with a couple candles and what appeared to be incense  in between them. Near that wall, tucked between two book cases and near the door which on this side of it was a dark brown to match the rest of the room’s theme, was a coat rack with a black petticoat hanging up, a long red scarf and a red stocking cap to match. On the other side of it was Dr. Milos’ lab coat but the doctor was nowhere to be seen. 

 

That is until Chase’s eyes roamed over near that same side of the room where he noticed one of the shelves seemed to stick out further from the rest and just as he had, Dr. Milos walked around the corner just buttoning up his dress shirt and moving to retrieve his coat. “Sorry about the wait Chase, I hope you don’t mind. One of Dr. Robert’s patients decided they were going to get back at her for their last corrective treatment and stated they had swallowed some cleaner they got ahold of from the sanitation carts. We spent the last hour trying to make her regurgitate it and she spit activated charcoal on the both of us.” He shrugged on his crisp clean white coat and was just fixing the collar and correcting his tie when he noticed Chase appeared to be lingering uneasily. “Please, have a seat.” He gestured towards the couch hoping to help ease his patient’s discomfort. He was certain being called to his office so suddenly probably set on his nerves but Chase wasn’t in any kind of trouble and he would have gone to the recovery room to have this chat but he didn’t have the time after dealing with one of the twin’s. 

 

All the doctor’s referred to them as  _ The Twins  _ but they had no relation to each other whatsoever. That was in fact part of their problem. They were dependant on another human being in order to create a form of self-identity. Usually this leads to stalking or mimicking a selected prey and can easily escalate into violent obsessive acts if the prey refuses to accept their attempted connection. This appeared most commonly in females as a form of self-worth and they actually had two cases of it within the hospital who latched onto one another and feed off of the other’s energy so to speak. Dr. Martha Roberts is in charge of both of these girls. Which is another oddity in the hospital. Female patients are under the care and treatment of female doctors and male patients are under the treatment and care of male doctors. This allows them to connect better to their patient’s needs by understand the gender specific needs as well and helps their patients open up more to them during  _ treatments.  _

 

Chase obliged and took a seat on the couch, sitting just on the edge of it with his hands folded neatly in his lap. He had his knees tucked up close to the couch as well and pressed together appearing a bit closed off from his surroundings. But his eyes were fixed on Dr. Milos as he took the seat in the chair, sitting back comfortably and crossing his legs. He folded his hands in his lap, weaving his fingers through them and letting them rest on his knee as he put all of his attention on his patient. Both seemed to be waiting for the other to speak first. Dr. Milos expecting Chase to question his presence here but when it never came because Chase was expecting the doctor to start in immediately, an awkward silence fell over them. As it increased, it made Chase increasingly more uncomfortable as his mind started to drift towards different worries. When the doctor did finally begin to speak, he cleared his throat first causing Chase to flinch at the sound. Dr. Milos stalled his question he was about to ask when he noticed this response and asked a different one instead. “Is something wrong Chase?”

 

Chase fidgeted a little, letting his gaze glance around the room for a moment as a visible shiver ran down his spine. Goosebumps soon followed and covered his patient’s uncovered arms. “It’s nothing. Sir, why am I here?” He asked, turning his gaze back to Dr. Milos and clearing his throat at the tail end of the question. His body was tense, wound taut as if expecting something to happen, with how wary his eyes were being of his surroundings, you’d think he was expecting to be jumped suddenly. He wondered if it may have something to do with the fact he was introduced to a new room and environment since he was never this nervous in the recovery room or his own room.

 

Dr. Milos sighed as he decided he might as well get to his first question since he had a feeling that pushing his last question further would only bother the boy more. “I wanted to discuss a few things with you Chase. One of them being, why did you ask to go back to your room the other day? Remember, in the Day Room. You requested to leave not that much longer after arriving at it.”

 

Chase visibly paled at the reminder. He shivered against and turned his gaze down, shrugging his shoulders before speaking. “I just wanted to go back. I don’t like being around people all that much.” Chase lied and Dr. Milos knew it. 

 

He narrowed his brown eyes at the boy as he made a thoughtful sound. “Hm. funny you say that. You don’t like people and yet so far what I’ve seen, you thrive around them. You enjoy and crave social interactions. Even before your accident Chase, you couldn’t live unless you were around people. You had scores of friends of every clique and group. Club activities, sports, extracurricular and Academic groups, planning committees and even part of the student council at your high school. You even had a strong connection and active home and family life. Your summer job was centered around people and their interactions.”

 

Chase seemed to cringe as he was reminded of his normal life. Of his life outside the hospital and before the accident. He bit his lip and shook his head as he was told of the person he used to be. It was like talking about an old friend or loved one who passed away. It hurt, deep down inside and it hurt alot. “Don’t lie to me Chase. I can’t help you if you won’t tell me. I’m here to help you, not hurt you so you have to tell me. You’re here for a reason Chase. Tell me why.” Dr. Milos’ voice was a little firmer but it wasn’t cold. It still held the warmth to it and it sounded sincere. Like he really wanted to help and this was the first time anyone has even asked to be allowed to. Everyone else just avoided him or abandoned him. His parents treated him like he had died in that accident and everyone else just talked about him at school. His name was on everyone’s tongue as he passed by and he hated it. It was sickening and some day he just wanted to scream and tell them all to stop. To shut up and leave him alone. And some days he did. But that only made things worse. He sighed and combed his fingers through his hair before curling them and bunching up the dark locks then continued to run them down the back of his head and neck before looking back up at Dr. Milos. The doctor gave him an expectant look.

 

“Since the car accident…” He started then cursed under his breath. “God, I hate this. I sound fucking crazy. I am fucking crazy.” Tears piqued at the corners of his eyes in frustration. He was struggling to speak of it. He kept it all bottled up and hidden for so long. He wanted to tell somebody. To let them know of the hell he had to go through every single day. Of the reason he clung so desperately to the presence of others. 

 

Dr. Milos saw the look in his patient’s eyes and gave him a look of understanding and patted his shoulder reassuringly. “I’m right here. Ready to help. You just have to let me Chase.”

 

Chase nodded and took a deep breath to steady himself before speaking again.”Since the accident, something has been following me. It’s not human in appearance but made up of the shadows. It’s made up of these long tendrils or tentacle things and they’re black and cold as ice and wet feeling almost but they don’t leave a residue or anything.” Chase made a nervous laugh as he stated. “It’s about as cold as that damn ice bath.”

 

“Does this thing have a name or something that triggers it?” Dr. Milos asked, having only seen one instance involving Chase’s outburst, he wondered what may lead up to it.

 

“It usually doesn’t come out unless I’m alone. You know that saying how  _ Even in a crowded room, I still feel alone. _ Well, even if I’m sitting alone in a crowded room, I’m not really alone. It starts out lingering in my peripheral vision and likes to toy with me. It bats at my ankles and wraps it’s fucking tentacles around the chair or whatever I’m sitting on. If I’m in a bed at night, it plays with the blankets, slithering across it like a mess of snakes until it’s right on top of me like it’s trying to smother me. Just a giant wall of cold and black. An endless void.” Chase’s eyes were sharpened with a sudden growing hate. His words which were also so soft or reserved were becoming harsher and louder, speaking as if he were spitting tacks. It was obvious to Dr. Milos that Chase was getting worked up but he was making too much progress to intervene and try to calm his patient’s mood. This was good, he was expressing which was something Chase hadn’t been able to do since the accident. He had no way to vent or release his anguish at the injustice of this dark shadowy creature. 

 

“And what happens when it does that?” Dr. Milos asked, wondering what Chase experiences within the void. If that causes the blackout.

 

Chase looked at Dr. Milos amidst his rant, giving him a look of confusion. “I don’t let it. I fight back. Normally I manage to run away or fight it off long enough before it gives up. This last time it was more determined.”

 

Dr. Milos made mental notes of every bit of information his patient was giving him. “Alright then. What was it doing different this time Chase?”

 

Chase thought about the answer to that question this time. He had to think back to what had happened. He remembered screaming at it to leave him alone and he struck out at it. “It was everywhere. It covered the walls and the bed and the door. I didn’t know what to do, I thought it was going to swallow me whole but then everything went blank. After that I was staring up at you.”

 

“Chase, why did you separate yourself from the rest of the people when it appeared. If being around people helps keep it away, why not stay with them?” Dr. Milos asked, leaning his head on his arm which had his elbow propped up on the arm of the chair.

 

“I tried that before. It didn’t work. It likes to play games. To push buttons. It’s safer if I’m alone. People don’t get hurt or try to hurt me.” Chase’s voice seemed to grow quieter at the last statement. The energy he had been exhibiting appeared to have fizzled out. He went back to his usual quiet closed off behavior which told Dr. Milos that that was the most he was going to be getting out of his patient for today which was enough for his since he was already formulating a pan inside his head for how to deal with this unwelcomed shadowy specter. He just needed an hour or so to prepare.

 

“Good job Chase. You did good today. You made a lot of progress so far and with your continued cooperation, I’m hoping we can make even more.” Dr. Milos smiled warmly as he got up and gestured for Chase to follow him. “For now, you can go back to your own room. I’ll be by in a couple hours but there is a new addition to it you may find interesting and could help make the time go by faster. 

 

Chase was puzzled by Dr. Milos’ statement but he followed the doctor through all the corridors, the trip back to his own room was shorter than the trip from the recovery wing to the doctor’s office. He unlocked the door, the mechanical click sounding as the door opened up to show Chase’s room and there were several really noticeable changes to it. His bed though it was the same old hard and uncomfortable bed, there was a thicker warmer looking blanket on it and a plusher pillow, not the flat thin one he had been using. As well as the more obvious addition being a desk next to his bed just beneath the window allowing for natural light to fall in. Even so there was also a simple lamp like one would find in a dorm room with a blue lamp shade around it and a silver looking body made of plastic. On the desk were several pieces of blank white paper and a pencil. Chase’s downcast and depressed appearance was quickly replaced with a large grin at the sight of the desk. Each patient had something specific they enjoyed to do with their free time and it was something Dr. Milos looked into. He had asked Chase’s parents what it is he enjoyed saying it would help him acclimate to his recovery here at the hospital and to his immense interest, he found out Chase enjoyed drawing very much as well as music but there was a policy of silence so he couldn’t pull that one just yet. “There’s more supplies inside the drawers. But remember Chase, these are all things that can be taken away. Cooperate and you’ll be rewarded with comfort. Break the rules and everything will be taken away from you.”

 

Chase entered further into the room to inspected all the other utensils and supplies within the drawers. There were pencils, colored pencils, markers, crayons, oil paints and with each their were all sorts of different types of paper for it all. There was also lined paper and envelopes in the shorter draw but Chase only gave them a moment’s glance. He didn’t think he’d be writing to anyone while he was in here. There was nobody he really wanted to write to that would even accept it. Especially the fact the hospital address would be on the envelopes in large lettering. He was ashamed of the fact he was even here. Still, he didn’t let that get him down as he continued to look over the supplies. “I’ll be by in a couple hours so take the time to relax. Maybe even get into some of your new things, you can.”

  
  
  
  


~Two and a Half Hours Later~

  
  


Dr. Milos kept his word and had prepared a room for Chase with the assistance of the same two orderlies from before and Dr. Roberts assisting with the examination and documentation of what will be happening. All that was left was for him to retrieve his patient, whom he found sitting at his desk working busily on a piece of paper. His fingers and the sides of his hands were smudged with black as his eyes were intently focused on the figure he was drawing, his hands moving quickly and accurately across the page. “Chase, it’s time to go.” Dr. Milos said from the doorway but when Chase didn’t respond, he walked over to his patient, leaning over his shoulder to see what it was he was drawing in the first place. The only color on the page was black but somehow Chase seemed to use that one sole color to form many different shades and shadows with it that all distinguished themselves from each other. There were dancing shadows across the background and layering out almost as if in flowing waves. From the center were multiple dark tendrils reaching out for the one viewing the page as if they were going to snatch them away if they dared look in it’s direction. The picture held so much depth that it sent chills down Dr. Milos’ spine. “Is this what you see? What follows you?” Dr. Milos questioned, reaching down for the picture just as Chase sat upright from his previously hunched position and sat the utensil he was using aside. He nodded as he moved from the chair at the desk to stand up. The doctor stepped aside and held onto the picture as he inspected it. “Mind if I keep this?”

 

“Go ahead, I get to see the real thing any time. Now you get to.” Chase’s voice had a monotone drone sound that was very uncharacteristic of him and Dr. Milos wondered if maybe it had something to do with the picture but as Chase stretched out, he seemed to shed his cold emotionless facade and become more alert and aware of the doctor’s presence. He even attempted a warm smile as Dr. Milos ushered them out of the room and towards the observation room. Dr. Roberts stood by the entrance with the two orderlies who Chase recognized easily and was starting to wonder if they were getting sick and tired of seeing him. Dr. Roberts was a young woman with long blonde hair that was always neatly tied back. She had black rimmed glasses she wore that gave her more of a sexy librarian look then a doctor at a hospital for the insane. She was tall, with a lithe frame and curves that accented her bosom and rear rather well. If Chase was being honest, if he were his old self, he’d attempt to flirt but he wasn’t and he was in no mood for attempting to be cute or comical either. 

 

In her hands were a pair of padded  brown and white medical restraints. Chase’s eyes rested on them for a moment and Dr. Milos noticed as he turned partway so he could address everyone equally. “Chase, this is going to be a test to see if we can help with the shadow that torments you. Behind this door is a padded room with cameras within. We’ll be able to watch everything that goes on inside. These are a safety precaution. This is a controlled and safe setting.” Dr. Milos noticed Chase’s unease and hesitance as he continued to stare at the cufflinks with displeasure. “It’s either this or a straight jacket.” Chase bit his lip and sighed in defeat, holding out his wrists to Dr. Roberts. She didn’t waste any time as she fixed them securely onto Chase’s wrists. When she was finished and stepped back, Dr. Milos directed Chase into the room which was padded with a single light fixed in the ceiling up above and was protected by a metal cage. He looked around expecting the obvious cameras but he didn’t spot any. 

 

In the meantime, the four staff members went into a room next door where there was a monitor with two screens on it from opposites sides of the room. Both were zoomed in enough to get a good view of Chase no matter where he was in the room. There were several chairs and a table in the center of the room which Dr. Milos sat down in the one closest to the monitor and let the drawing Chase had done lie out in the open. Dr. Roberts looked it over, leaning over the table as she inspected it. “Is this the shadow that follows him everywhere?”

 

“Yeah.” Dr. Milos stated as he watched Chase pace about the room in idle boredom for a while. Everyone in the room settled in and everyone grew quiet as they listened and watched the screens. Not only were there cameras but there was also audio being picked up and they could hear everything going on within. Which was a whole lot of nothing except for the fact Chase didn’t like to sit still and got bored easily. At one point he even started to hum, sitting down on the floor of the room with his back to the wall. His hands tapping out a beat along with it. The minutes ticked by and nothing new seemed to happen as Chase went from humming quietly to himself to just plane quiet with a lot of yawns in between. He was obviously getting tired and the rest of the people in the room were getting just as restless as the patient. Dr. Milos was just about to call it quits after nearly an hour when Chase suddenly jumped up onto his feet and whirled around to face something they couldn’t see. “What”s going on? Tristan?” Dr. Roberts asked perplexed when Dr. Milos moved closer to the monitor, his eyes scanning the room as if expecting to see the shadow being Chase had drawn. He knew it was there by the way all the color seemed to drain out of the boy’s features. His defensive stance and the way his eyes were wide with fear and fixed on one specific point in the room. Dr. Milos could almost see him shaking where he stood.

 

“It’s there. Whatever it is, it’s there with him.” Dr, Milos explained. His brown eyes fixed on Chase who seemed frozen in place. His back to the door as he shook his head as if slowly disagreeing with the creature. He backed up away from whatever it was, his bound hands held up in an attempt at defense against the creature. “Come on. We’re going to try something.” The doctor told the orderly closest to him. He nodded and followed close behind as they opened the door to the room. Chase was only a couple feet away from the entrance but he might as well have been miles away when he didn’t respond to their entry. “Chase, it’s alright. We’re here.” Dr. Milos called but Chase still didn’t budge or notice. He appeared to be in his own little terrifying world which bothered Dr. milos greatly that even his voice couldn’t reach him. “Chase!” He hollered it this time, his voice booming throughout the room but it still did nothing to break him out of it. A moment later Chase flinched causing the doctor to think hopefully that Chase was coming out of it but then a terrified whimper came as he crouched down on the floor with his hands drawn over his head as if bracing himself for something to fall on him. His entire body shaking like a leaf within a storm. Dr. Milos had enough of seeing his patient like this and ordered the orderly to snap him out of it.

 

The orderly approached Chase carefully, having learned from last time not to go at him so recklessly but he assumed all would be fine since the young man’s wrists were bound. He touched his shoulder and shook it. Still Chase didn’t budge, he just seemed to ball up tighter as another heartbreaking whimper came. The orderly tried shaking him a little more harshly but a cry of pain came in response. He backed off thinking that somehow he had hurt Chase only to watch him begin to writhe on the floor like a serpent at the end of a hot poker. His blue eyes were distant and his expression held pure agony as his wrists fought against the restraints. Soon a scream escaped his chest and he curled back up on himself. Dr. Milos was at a loss for words, not really knowing how he could snap him out of it and he was worried he just might not be able to this time around. The orderly noticed the doctor’s immense worry and Dr. Roberts joined them in the doorway having been watching what was happening in the room. “Try getting him up on his feet.” she offered. The second orderly entered and they tried hauling Chase up onto his feet once more but as soon as they did it was like something snapped within him. 

 

“Get away!” He cried out and pulled away from them. Both doctor’s had assumed he had regained his senses but when he raised his head and the distant look was still present, their worry only escalated. Even more so a moment later when Chase bull rushed one of the orderlies who was still holding onto him. He had been gripping his arm to keep him upright and in a quick movement, he was slammed up against the wall with Chase’s shoulder in his abdomen. It wasn’t hard enough to do anything more then leave a bruise behind given the very small space and the padding of the walls. But it was startling nonetheless. His voice was a feral snarl as he growled angrily at the orderly he had pinned and before anyone else could intervene, his legs seemed to give out from under him, dropping him to the ground. Dr. Milos was quick to dive and catch his patient, wrapping an arm around his waist and drawing him towards him. Chase shivered within his arms, the distant look bleeding away from his deep blue pools and the paleness of his skin lingered a little longer. His skin felt cold to the touch as if he really had been swallowed up by shadows. “I’m so cold.” Chase managed finally as he started to make sense of his surroundings. 

 

Dr. Milos breathed a sigh of relief and shrugged his white coat off with the help of Dr. Roberts and he wrapped Chase up in it, rubbing at his shoulders and arms. The other orderly tended to the one Chase had pinned while the two doctors addressed Chase. Dr. Milos had lowered him down to the ground where he could sit as he spoke. “I know Chase but we’ll get you warmed up in a minute. Can you tell me what happened?”

 

Chase’s voice seemed weak and very obviously exhausted as he spoke. “It didn’t play games this time. It was angry. It came at me all at once. I thought I was going to drown in the dark.” 

 

Dr. Milos nodded his understanding. “I wasn’t going to let that happen. You did good today Chase. Just relax and get some rest, you deserve it.” Chase nodded, giving a soft smile at the praise before closing his eyes and hunkering into Dr. Milos’ arms. The doctor cradled Chase’s head against his shoulder as he scooped him up into his arms to take him back to his room. He felt bad for putting Chase through this but he really wanted to help the boy. He didn’t like seeing the fear in his eyes like that. It sparked anger within himself at the sight. That something that he couldn’t see could incite such a feeling within that young man bothered him. “We’ll continue this tomorrow.” Dr. Milos informed Dr. Roberts when she gave him a questioning look. She didn’t say anything but simply nodded her understanding then they parted ways, leaving Dr. Milos to tend to Chase on his own.

 


	4. Chapter 4

First thing the next morning, Dr. Milos had a whole list of theories he wanted to try. First up was the theory of using Chase’s own moral compass against him by instead of sending the to large orderlies in to try and snap him out of it or Dr Milos himself approaching him, that they would use Dr. Roberts. She was dressed more casually and didn’t appear like a doctor which they hoped would also help. She wore a red sweater and a pair of slim fit jeans that hugged her body nicely and a pair of Ugg boots with fur trimming on top. Her long blond hair was tied back into a neat bun and she was wearing contacts today instead of her usual dark rimmed glasses. She appeared to be much younger than she usually did and they difference in her appearance as well as the fact she disbanded her professional body language to a more vulnerable relaxed posture, made her look more approachable as well as, as they hoped, it would jar Chase out of his violent state through his instinctive urge to protect and his strong moral compassion. Like before it took a while for the shadowy specter to appear and they gave Chase some time until he slipped into his little world fueled by his own fear. They sent Dr. Roberts in but just like before Chase didn’t budge. Not to any verbal stimulation and when she touched him he seemed to be in pain at the physical contact. But unlike last time where he didn’t budge unless grabbed, he lunged at her quickly soon after the physical touch even though it was gentle and held no threat. Dr. Milos sent the orderlies in to intervene immediately as soon as he pinner her to the floor. But Dr. Roberts maintained her calm cool facade and continued to try and jar him out of the state by touching his face which nearly got her bit in the process.

 

It took a lot of work but they managed to drag him off of her and get Dr. Roberts out of the room. Instead of trying to snap him out of it, Dr. Milos decided to let it run it’s course to see if Chase would snap himself out of it. It ended with him pacing the room rather quickly like a caged animal, occasionally jumping and jerking away from corners as if something had lunged out at him. By the end of the second hour he appeared to have tired himself out and laid slumped in a corner, partially curled with his knees drawn up to his body and his head hanging down and his chin resting against his chest. His bound wrists had slid down between him and the wall he was tucked up into and his knees leaned at an angle against it. Dr. Milos had the now sleeping or should he say unconscious young man taken back to the recovery room where he could be watched over until he wakes up to ensure he regained his senses. The doctor had waited by his side for hours until then and was pleased to see when Chase did finally wake, he was back to his senses.

 

The next theory involved the use of sudden extremely loud sounds. Multiple speakers had been fixed around the room and were linked to a playlist of different sounds such as an airhorn, a train whistle, gunshots, a sonic boom, an explosion and fireworks. But just like everything else, nothing seemed to change his state. Just like before they let it run it’s course, this time took much longer and Dr. Roberts wasn’t with them, having needed to tend to her own patients for the day. The final one on the list was using a tote filled to the brim with ice water. When Chase curled up on the floor like before, the two orderlies entered the room and dumped the tote on top of him. A scream ripped out of his chest and he scrambled away from them, curling up into a far corner. This time it seemed the sudden temperature change caused a flight response from him. Dr. Milos wondered if this had anything to do with his previous punishment or the fact that Chase stated the shadows feel as cold as the ice bath he was subjected to. Yet, he still didn’t return to his senses. With a sound of frustration, Dr. Milos ran his fingers through his hair in exasperation. They were several days in and with each passing day it was getting them nowhere and he could see it was really wearing down on Chase. He had lost his appetite and was starting to have nightmares every night. He wasn’t sleeping which was obvious by the dark circles starting to form under his eyes and the red tired rings within. He was becoming more and more reluctant towards going inside the room to the point he had to persuade him for a long time just that morning that he needed to keep trying. He knew the boy despised losing control like that and the fact he had no idea what he was doing, terrified of hurting somebody in the process. He was even more reluctant against having to be subjected to the shadowy specter everyday. And he couldn’t even defend himself with his wrists bound like that.

 

Of course Dr. Milos couldn’t blame his patient for that. From the images of the shadows that Chase had been spending his nights drawing, they were growing and becoming more fearsome with each passing day. Chase’s words from the first session rang in the back of the doctor’s mind. _It’s no longer playing games. It’s angry._ But what did that mean? Was it upset about the sessions or more importantly, what part of Chase’s mind were these shadow’s coming from and why were these sessions upsetting it? Dr. Milos pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed while the orderlies snapped his soaking wet patient out of his fearful state. He retrieved a blanket from the table and entered the room just as Chase was coming out in a shivering and bewildered state. He had his now unbound arms wrapped around himself as he tried to warm himself up. Dr. Milos gave his patient an apologetic look and wrapped the blanket firmly around his shoulders and tucked him up against his side, his arm wrapped around his shoulders in a comforting gesture as he reassured him he was safe and everything was alright again. As he guided Chase back to the recovery room to change and warm up a bit, the young man remained quiet until halfway there where he finally spoke up. “I don’t want to go back in there.” His voice was soft and could have been easily missed if it weren’t for the fact Dr. Milos was paying specific attention to his patient. His jaw tightened as he thought about it for a moment.

 

He didn’t really have anymore leads except that cold temperature makes him flee instead of attack. He wished he could get in Chase’s head and see what he saw every time, that Chase could remember what was going on. But as soon as he slips into that trance, it’s as if his consciousness disappears and he’s reacting from basic survival instincts. Dr. Milos sighed and rubbed Chase’s shoulder with his hand. “I understand Chase. Don’t worry about it anymore. Just rest.” He directed as they reached the white double doors to the recovery room. A nurse came to greet them when they entered, placing and arm on Chase’s shoulder as she guided him to one of the curtained areas to change and warm up. The current blanket being swapped out for a heated one that would help with the young man’s chilled skin.

 

Chase spent the night in the recovery room which lately was becoming a more common instance. Which it couldn’t really be helped considering how much these sessions were taking a toll on him, not just mentally but physically as well. It seemed that tonight, Dr. Milos’ patient was able to have a full night’s sleep after warming up and eating something a little more feeling and easy on his stomach. It was the same meal as after the ice bath, tea and soup which did the trick to help with his most recent bouts of insomnia. Even as his patient was finally given a good night’s rest, sleep eluded the brown eyed doctor who now wandered the dimly lit halls of the hospital. It was late and most of the patients were asleep already and the night shift workers were lingering in the work stations chatting softly to one another. Dr. Milos’ thoughts were too busy to quell for the night and he found a long stroll about the hospital helped him sort out the mess in his head. He rubbed at his eyes for the third time and glanced around at his surroundings after walking aimlessly for a while, lost in thought. He realized he had made his way to the other side of the hospital where the _Treatment_ rooms were located. He chuckled softly to himself when he noticed one of the the rooms had a soft red light glowing above it showing a session was in process. Given the time of night and his knowledge of who had been working that day, he could only assume Dr. Roberts was in session which meant the Twins weren’t getting any sleep either.

 

He punched in the code for the room and the door clicked open, allowing him entrance. The room was a lot like the one he had Chase in on his first day as he did a full physical examination of his patient. Except instead of the medical chair and carts of equipment, this one was more like a children’s playroom of sorts with a large soft rug laid out in the center. There was a sofa like the couch in Tristan’s office on one side only this one was a wrap around half circle that went around one side of the rug. There was also a bed on one side of the room fixed with restraints on the bed as well as restraints that came down from the ceiling that could bind a subject’s wrists in the air and keep them in a kneeling position on the bed. Today those restraints weren’t being used. This session was being conducted on the floor where the twin brunettes were lying down beside one another with no clothing on them whatsoever, well unless you count the blindfolds over their eyes. There were multiple colored cables and patches attached to different spots on their bodies, most of them on their lower extremities and their hands were restrained. The cables led to two different little black boxes much the same as the one Tristan had used on Chase. Martha Roberts stood over her two patients, examining their reactions to the electrical stimulation they were being subjected to. She was using sensory control to try and treat her patient’s need for the other’s attention. Essentially blocking their ability to feed off of the attention of their counterpart and forcing their body and mind to hone in on the stimulation instead. Reducing their dependance on the other for the time being. They were far enough apart from each other that they won’t accidentally bump into the other as they writhed in pleasure on the floor. As he got closer, stepping up beside Martha, he noticed both girls had gags on as well in order to muffle any sounds they would make so as not to disturb the other.

 

“Ah, Tristan, I didn’t know you were coming for a visit. If I had known, I would have set up something more interesting.” Martha greeted her colleague as she looked up from her patient’s to look over his reaction. It wasn’t often that Tristan came to sit in on the sessions of others, it was allowed and many other doctor’s do it and use it as a learning experience to possibly use on their patients in the future but Tristan was a bit of a stick in the mud in that aspect. He gave others their privacy during their sessions and expected the same be done for him. So to see her colleague here told her something was bothering him. His tight jawed look and tired eyes confirmed her suspicions as well.

 

“What’s this?” Tristan asked, his voice held a hint of curiosity but he hoped to take his mind off of his current troubles and Martha was good at doing that.

 

“This? This is just a simple exercise I put them through every couple weeks. It builds up a space between them that draws them back away from each other. Makes them less clingy so to speak.” She explained as she turned her attention back on the girls. Tristan nodded his understanding but didn’t speak, allowing a long pause of silence settle between them before Martha reinitiated the conversation. “Something on your mind?” There was another pause before she finally asked more directly. “It’s that boy isn’t it?”

 

“Chase, yeah. I just can’t seem to break through to him during his episodes. You’ve seen how he is. Everything I do, it just keeps getting worse. At this point I don’t know if I’m helping or just plain hurting him.” Tristan vented shortly. Exasperation heavy in his voice. He rubbed a hand over his forehead and closed his eyes, feeling a sudden headache coming over him. He was tired and his brain was working on it’s last cog before shutting down completely for the night rather he wanted to or not. “I don’t know what to do. I’ve tried everything. Even pain stimulus has no affect on him.”

 

“You haven’t tried e _verything_ , have you. Think about it. What do you see?” Martha said gesturing towards the girls before them. They were writhing within their restraints, their skin coated in a light glistening of sweat and their chests rising and falling in panting breathes huffing from their noses. Their faces were flushed and they seemed oblivious to the presence of their counterpart beside them. Martha reached over to one of the boxes and changed the setting on one of the sets of cables to a higher voltage also changing the pattern as well. One of the girl’s body jerked suddenly and she appeared to be in pain but the muffle sounds she was making weren’t in distress. Her body rolled like waves against the floor as the electrical pulses worked through her body. “Pain and Pleasure can be one and the same, while Pain instills fear within a spoiled pet so as not to push the boundaries. Pleasure is sure to sooth the most savage of beasts and can even tame them.” Martha explained. “These girls didn’t cooperate at all in the beginning but with a little pain they would understand their place and who it is they were to obey but that didn’t stop any outbursts of rebelliousness. They tried to be sneaky and cunning. But you apply the variable of pleasure and all those troublesome actions ceased and they fell victim to their own carnal desires.”

 

Tristan’s eyes widened when he caught onto what Martha was saying. “I can’t believe I missed that. Martha, you’re a genius. I owe you one.” Tristan said quickly as his weary appearance perked up with excitement as he rushed out of the room. The blonde waving her fingers at him in farewell before returning her attention to her two patients.

  
  


~The Next Morning~

  


Chase was awoken abruptly from his deep and very cozy sleep, curled up to the pillow and burrowed comfortably beneath the heated blankets when a voice called his name. It was far too cheery and energetic for so early in the morning causing Chase to groan his displeasure and burrow deeper within. A familiar laugh came in response to the sound and a hand hooked the top of the blankets and peeled them back away from Chase’s head allowing the bright lights of the recovery room to hit his face. He squeezed his blue eyes shut and tried to hunker back down but the blanket were drawn further down to his waist and he gave up trying. He blinked in the bright lights and was grateful when the tall form of the doctor stepped in front of it, leaning over him and permitted his sleep heavy eyes a chance at peace for just a moment so they could adjust better, “Good morning sleepy head. Come on. Time to get up. We’ve got work to do.” Chase was still groggy with sleep as he dragged himself up into a sitting position and rubbed at his eyes as a yawn came and split his features. He hadn’t slept that well in quite a few days and he was thankful for the chance after the seemingly endless hell he was forced to face daily.

 

“You’re too happy for it to be morning. What’s wrong?” Chase asked, knowing very well that Dr. Milos was just as much a morning person as Chase was, which wasn’t at all. So the fact he was so happy and chipper so suddenly bothered Chase very much telling him it probably meant something was going to happen that he probably wasn’t going to like.

 

“Here, eat your breakfast and take your meds. We’ve got a busy morning ahead of us.” He placed the tray in Chase’s lap and waited patiently for his patient to do as instructed. The breakfast consisted of a bowl of fresh fruit, grape juice and a single bagel halve. Chase ripped up the bagel into bite sized pieces and took his time with his fruit, Dr. Milos standing nearby watching him quietly. When he was finished with his food, he had to take his meds as the doctor watched then let him inspect his mouth to ensure he had taken them. Seeming satisfied and still in very much of a hurry, he gestured for Chase to get out of the bed but placed his hands on the male’s shoulders. “First, I need you to drop trow.”

 

Chase stared at Dr. Milos completely puzzled by this order. His face heated up darkly as his words stumbled. He could feel the heat growing and climbing up across his features. “Wh-what?”

 

“Chase, you and I both know there isn’t a part of your body that I haven’t already seen. There’s no reason to be embarrassed.” This didn’t seem to make Chase feel in the least bit better but the stern look from the doctor urged him to hook his fingers in the hem of his pants and slide them down. He was thoroughly flustered as Dr. Milos patted his shoulder in praise. “Good boy. Now hold still. This may be a little uncomfortable.” The doctor crouched down in front of Chase, pulling on a pair of gloves in the process as he directed. “Spread your legs a little further. If you need to, you can use my shoulders for balance.” Chase kept his eyes up as he shifted his legs a little, already uncomfortable by the whole thing and they haven’t even started doing anything yet. He gripped Dr. Milos’ shoulders tightly as his manhood was touched. He shivered, a sharp gasp escaping his lips when he felt something cold and metallic tighten around the base of his member. He felt the gloved hands brush against his skin a few times as the ringlike object was fixed into place. “There, that wasn’t so bad now was it?” The doctor’s comment was a rhetorical question as he fixed Chase’s clothing sliding his boxers back up along with his pants.

 

Dr. Milos looked over the flustered male before him when he stood up, taking his gloves off and giving him a reassuring smile. “It’s alright. It’s not going to hurt you. I’m actually hoping it’ll help with today’s session.”

 

“Session?’ Chase asked, his flustered features starting to cool as his focus was fixed on this new bit of unsettling information. “You said we weren’t doing anymore.”

 

“Ah, ah, ah Chase. You said you didn’t want to do it anymore. I simply stated that I understand. I never said we were stopping. But, if this one fails as well, then we will stop. You won’t have to go inside that room ever again after today, rather it fails or succeeds.” Dr. Milos explained. He turned to leave, gesturing for Chase to follow him as he dropped the used gloves in a disposal bin on his way out.

 

Chase followed albeit begrudgingly so all the way to the room where the two orderlies stood waiting with the restraints in hand. Chase looked at the brown and white objects with hatred as he hesitantly held his wrists out to the orderlies. “Behind your back Chase.” Chase looked up at Dr. Milos with another look of confusion. “Today they’ll be behind your back. Don’t worry. You have to trust me.” Chase sighed in defeat and turned around with his arms behind him. The orderly buckled the straps over each wrist and made sure they were tight. Chase shifted and flexed his shoulders within them to try and find a more comfortable position but quickly gave up as Dr. Milos placed a hand in between his shoulder blades and guided him into the room. Chase turned around to face him with a look of genuine concern and the shreds of fear flickering in the depths of those deep blue pools. The twisting knot of panic set in his stomach making him feel sick and his chest grew increasingly tight. Dr. Milos cupped his chin and gave him a reassuring smile, taking note of the pitiful look on his patient’s features. He knew Chase hated doing this, but after today he won’t have to ever again. They would be done. Win or lose, Chase would be done with this “Chin up. It’ll be over before you know it.”

 

Chase swallowed hard and nodded, though those words weren’t as reassuring as they were meant to be. He watched in silent despair as the only person who he could count on walked out of the room. His jaw clenched shut and he squeezed his eyes shut when the door closed. The click was terrifyingly loud in the sudden silence. He stayed put, standing in the center of the room uneasily. The only sound being his unsteady breaths that came out in uncertain and fearful huffs. Wavering and fanning out. Today he didn’t have to wait long for it to show up. He squeezed his eyes shut tighter and strained against the restraints as the audible sound of the dark shadowy tendrils slithered over the padded walls. He could feel the cold waves washing over him, cascading down off of it’s large dark looming mass. A whimper escaped his throat when he felt the tendrils curl around his ankles and bat at his legs. One particular hit pushed his already shaking knees to the ground. His entire body began to shake with fear. It was toying with him. It hasn’t toyed with him since the Day room.

 

“He….help..” Chase managed but his voice was a hoarse whisper. A rough ball of emotion fixing itself within his throat, preventing him from speaking. He felt as if this really would be his last day in this accursed room. It was going to devour him whole after thoroughly tormenting him. He felt the tendrils wrap around his legs, pinning them to the floor and curling around the front of his thighs as if in an attempt to keep him kneeling where he was. Hot tears slid down his face as he refused to open his eyes, even as one of the cold slick tendrils slipped up along his back, causing him to yelp suddenly and  curl around his neck. The very tip of the tendril sliding across his cheek in a teasing manner. The predatory mannerisms much like that of a cat with a mouse trapped beneath it’s paws. He held his breath, his chest rising quickly as he whimpered once more, the sound coming from deep within his chest. He felt a cold tendril slither up under the front of his shirt and wrapped around his torso and another tugging on his restraints. His body was frozen in place, or more like held in place unable to move. Paralyzed by the fear that if he moves, it’ll provoke it to attack. “Doctor….Milos.” Chase barely managed to gasp out. The name caused the tendrils to tighten their hold on his body and wrench him back suddenly, his body falling back onto his arms. A pained cry came from his lips when he landed on his bound arms. He curled up, shaking as a sob escaped him, amidst the fall his eyes opened in surprise and he watched now in horror as the shadows swirled all around him. It was like standing in the eye of a winter storm, but instead of the funnel of raging clouds it was a cold torrent of enraged shadows that swirled faster and faster, building up in preparation to crash down upon him like a tsunami wave. “Dr. Milos…” He pleaded, hoping the man could hear his cries and would uphold his promise and save him from the monster.

 

The shadows had built up enough to block out everything else in the room, covering every single surface, the very last being the light within the metal cover. Chase’s eyes stared up at it as if it were his last hope. The light of his salvation and the whip like tendrils were knitting themselves across it to cover what little shreds of light were left. But suddenly they stopped amidst their work. Freezing as a sudden feeling filled the room. It was as if a static charge had built up, running over his chilled skin. Then came a subtle pulsing sensation. Like the vibrations one feels standing in front of a large speaker. But it didn’t completely encompass his entire body like one would think. It came from a very small portion of Chase’s body. He shivered on the floor as the pulsing increased and the sensation built up in his body. The pulsing worked it’s way out of the small ring Dr. Milos had placed on him earlier that morning.

 

The shadows stirred, shuddering and bowing with every pulse from the ring. The black webbing that crisscrossed over the light snapped under the strain as the shadows pulled against each other. But the shadows weren’t the only one being affected. The pulsing sensation left soft sounds falling from his lips. No longer fearful and pleading. He panted softly as they left a steady tingling sensation throughout his body. As time passed the pulsing increased in speed and strength, to the point Chase couldn’t even focus on his fears anymore. The shadows were having trouble staying together and maintaining their control of the entire room. They started to constrict and shrink, visible ripples ran across the black pools with each pulse from the ring. Chase’s manhood was responding as well, and he squirmed within the restraints. Several minutes had passed and the ring was growing tighter, or more like Chase’s member was filling it out more now as the pattern of the pulsations changed. The shadowy specter that was previously tormenting him had shrank away to a corner of the room and was soon forgotten by the blue eyed male now squirming and writhing on the floor. His legs stretching and curling as if searching for some kind of leverage against the pulsing sensation and the static charge resonating throughout his body. He cried out suddenly as something seemed to jolt right through him from the ring, his back arched off the floor. He panted heavily, his body trembling as the pleasure from the ring only increased. He fought the restraints, the urge to move and touch that part was overwhelming. He rolled over so he was lying on his front, his hips grinding down against the ground in sync with the pulses as they came. But the action was awkward and getting him nowhere with how tight the ring was at the moment so he gave up. His body quivering with need while he laid there helpless and subjected to a different kind of torment but one he prefered much more then the shadows. A few more minutes ticked by or at least that’s what Chase thought but within the room minutes felt like hours and hours like days distorting his sense of time.

 

His heavy panting being the only sound in the room until the audible click of the lock came. He was facing the door as it opened, his body resting on it’s side and he was staring at the entrance in somewhat of a daze. His eyes bright with need and a new kind of desperation, different from the one he entered the room with. A soft smile came to his features when he saw brown eyed doctor enter alone, his words were wary as he lingered near the door. “Chase?”

 

“Doctor…” Chase breathed eliciting a sigh of relief from the older male. A large smile came across his features, one of happiness and relief when he realized his patient was cognizant of the situation.

 

Dr. Milos approached Chase hastily and crouched down before him, swiping the young man’s long dark locks out of his face. Chase’s skin was damp with a light misting of sweat from all the activity. Dr. Milos began combing his fingers through the younger male’s hair in soft strokes. “You did good Chase. You did very good. I’m proud of you.”

 

Chase shifted a little so he could gaze up at the doctor. His flushed features still lingering as was the problem he was having in his lower extremities but in this moment, he was happy because he wasn’t alone and he had beat the shadow. At least for the time being. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.” He released the restraints from Chase’s wrists and let them drop to the floor for the orderlies to take care of before scooping up the young man into his arms. He left a soft kiss on Chase’s forehead as he let his patient rest against his chest. Chase’s breathing was still a little erratic but it wasn’t anything to worry about. Dr. Milos was beginning to wonder if he had made the right choice by make him go back into the room today but now that it was all over, he couldn’t be happier that the ring actually worked. He wanted to stop halfway through when he heard Chase calling his name in such a terrified and desperate tone of voice but he forced himself to remain seated in the room and waited it out and he was glad he had.

  
  


Dr. Milos didn’t take Chase to the recovery room or even his own room. Instead he carried his weary patient all the way back to his office to take care of the problem the ring had caused. Though it was a good tool in warding off the shadows that haunted his patient’s consciousness, it also caused the problem that needed to be corrected before it caused trouble. He set his patient on the large black couch so he was lying down on his back. Chase appeared to still be in a tired daze and so Dr. Milos decided he should continue anyway and get this over with so Chase could rest and recover from the morning’s events. He hooked his fingers on his patient’s trousers and pulled them down to his knees, his boxers along with it to expose the throbbing hard flesh beneath. The ring keeping a tight hold over the perineum preventing anything from leaking out. He had turned the ring off and all it took was a slight twist of the mechanism to resize it so it could easily slide off of the dark aching flesh. He sighed, expecting the fact nothing was going to happen without a little assistance and shrugged off his jacket, tossing it aside onto the chair adjacent. He reached down and gripped the shaft in his hand while the other hand supported his weight. He leaned down to murmur into Chase’s ear. “You’re lucky. I don’t usually do this sort of thing but these are special circumstances so I’ll let it slide. We can consider it your reward for a good job today.”

 

Chase made a noise of question in his dazed state, tilting his head to face Dr. Milos but he was stopped when the doctor started kissing along his neck. He made a soft pleased sound, tilting his head to the side to expose more of his neck to the older male. Dr. Milos obliged and sucked on the tender flesh offered to him by his patient. His hand stroking Chase’s shaft from base to tip, his thumb rolling across the head of his member on the upward strokes. This elicited a deep groan from within Chase’s chest. He shuddered as the doctor moved back up along his neck to nibble on his ear, teasing the shell of it with his teeth and giving it a gentle tug. Chase gasped softly, his hips bucking into the doctor’s grasp eagerly as he neared the edge. Dr. Milos chuckled softly into Chase’s ear. “Eager, aren’t we? I think I might have to address that in our future sessions.” Chase moaned, squirming and panting softly with each stroke, feeling the doctor’s breath ghost across his previously damp skin. Feeling his hot wet mouth on him and the firm strokes of his manhood. It all was driving him crazy.

 

Dr. Milos smirked as Chase’s hands gripped his shoulders as he pressed his face into the crook of his neck, calling out to the male in a such a needy tone. Dr. Milos answered it by digging his thumb nail into his patient’s slit, causing Chase to tip his head back and utter a cry of pleasure before releasing into the doctor’s grasp. His body relaxing back against the couch as the dazed look only increased to a clouded appearance in those deep blue pools and his eyelids became heavy with an overwhelming drowsiness. Dr. Milos purred into his patient’s ear. “Good boy.” He drew back from the younger male, allowing him to drift away into a pleasant sleep.”Now get some sleep Chase. You’ve earned.”


	5. Chapter 5

Tears streamed from those blue pools, trapped and warped into pits of despair. The young raven haired male shuddered, his lithe naked body wracked with sobs on the metal table. His hands bound high above his head and fighting the restraints with the urge to cover his face, ashamed of himself for losing the firm grip he had on his emotions. The tight swirling ball of frustration had built up to the point of exploding, ripping out of his chest in broken sentences. “I don’t want to ….li- live like this ah-anymore.” He could barely manage to keep his words together long enough to leave his lips. “I want to go home. I want my old life back. I’m tired of feeling so fucking helpless all the time.” The words spilled from his lips, mixed with more sobs and tears. Dr. Milos stood above the broken male, his cold facade had cracked at the sight of his patient falling so hard into a dark void he couldn’t control. He hated this. The fact he was forcing this out of the young man. But it was the only way to make things better, to help him. Or at least that’s what he was telling himself but he wasn’t so sure anything he was doing was really helping Chase. Just shifting from one shit show to another. It was obviously taking it’s toll on the boy and he knew he would hit rock bottom sooner or later. He was just glad it was here on the table in the _Treatment_ room and not in his room alone in the middle of the night. He knew all too well that those ones usually never survived the night. More often than not trying to take their own lives and succeeding one way or another. But when the day started he had never thought it would end quite like this. In a pitiful mess when it had begun so promisingly.

  
  
  


_~Earlier That Day~_

  
  


The day had begun as per the usual schedule. Chase had been present in the hospital now for going on three weeks. It had been several days since their breakthrough using the ring as a way of helping curb the violent episodes and control Chase’s outbursts but luckily enough, none had come about. Chase had kept a usual schedule of waking up to Dr. Milos holding the tray with his breakfast and the daily meds. This time instead of the blue, he moved on to a small pink pill that was being used to help with his hallucinations. He continued taking the muscle relaxers to aid with stress but he thought that was more as a way for the doctors to feel more comfortable around him since he was considered a violent patient. The only people who ever saw him or interacted with him were one of the two large orderlies whose names he had yet to find out but they never spoke to him, Dr. Milos who was about the only person he ever spoke to and occasionally Dr. Roberts would stop by or he would see her in passing and she would talk with him, keeping the chat light since she was always so busy. The twins apparently being a handful. He rarely ever went to the day room, preferring to keep to his own room and when he was with Dr. Milos, they had a habit of going to his office more often than not to talk. Their conversations often had to do with Chase’s social life, or what it was before the accident, how he viewed school and his family life both before and after the accident.

 

When he wasn’t in Dr. Milos’ office, he was in his own room, drawing. His drawing expanded from the shadowy being to different things he enjoyed from before the accident. Mostly they were scenes of sunsets or bonfires in the dark or woodlands. He did a handful of the stars and with Dr. Milos’ permission, hung them up across the ceiling so he could stare up at them at night and pretend he was outdoors under a beautiful night sky. His oil paints were getting a lot of use these days and more often it was a color that wasn’t black. Dr. Roberts gave him a sketchbook he could use to carry around with him so he could do more work around the hospital hoping it would get him to leave his room more on his own. The first day this such instance happened, Chase took a small case of color pencils with him and the sketchbook, having heard from Dr. Roberts that the nurses had put flowers up around the day room to lift the spirits of the patients. Chase decided this would give him something better to try drawing since it had been a while since he’s seen flowers up close. The table he sat at before was open and had a vase of flowers of many different colors on it. Chase drew back his chair, pushing it up against the wall so he could have room to tuck his knees up to his chest and use them to support the sketchbook while he drew.

 

Amidst his drawing, he noticed the twins were giggling and snickering from their table. They had completed the puzzled they were working on the last time Chase had seen them and appeared to be working on a different one. This one being of a waterfall in an aztec temple. It was beautiful on the box but their progress was pitiful. Still, Chase attempted to ignore them until one of them got up from her seat and walked over to the three boys who were piled on top of each other like usual on the couch, this time watching a sports based movie. The lifetime-y type of film which would normally end with the fact it’s a true story or closely based on one. The biggest of the boys seemed interested suddenly in what the brunette girl was saying then next thing Chase knew, three heads popped up and peered over the back of the couch over at him. The largest of the three smiled but he didn’t know if it was directed towards him or what the brunette was still saying. The brunette then turned and walked back to the table, sharing a grin with the other girl before sitting down and murmuring to each other. The occasional giggle coming from them. Chase didn’t know why but that gave him an unsettling feeling. He wasn’t sure if he was just being paranoid or not, but he lost interest in what he was doing, glancing down at the finished flowers and half finished vase on his paper, the bright colorful petals suddenly losing the enticing majestic luster that had first entranced him upon a glance.

 

He got up from his seat with his sketchbook in hand and pushed his chair in silently. He walked over to the entryway, one of the nurses giving him a questioning glance. He gave her a reassuring smile, holding up his sketchbook up to show the piece he had been working on. “Dr. Roberts said I could walk around the hospital and draw.” The nurse made a silent ‘ _O_ ’ then nodded, smiling back at him with a subtle glance at the orderly standing near the room’s entrance, giving Chase permission to pass through without an escort. Chase was pleased he was allowed through with little trouble as he headed down the corridor he normally took to get back to his room. But he cut down to a separate corridor that branched off to a dead end. There at the end of the hallway was a large glass window that had a window seat as part of the sill and overlooked the courtyard down below. Chase sat with his back against the wooden frame of the sill, his knees drawn up to him as he gazed out over the courtyard. The trees looked sad, having lost all their leaves and color and the days had gotten too cold to walk the courtyard. Soon the first snowfall was going to come and it would leave long dreary dark days and white washed views from his little window in his room. Being in a hospital, it was rare to see any colors besides the everyday whites and pastels of blues and greens. Chase wanted to see more, like the vibrant shades he used in his drawings and the flowers in the vase. He wanted to see an endless field of flowers. He had even gotten bored of the warm colors of Dr. Milos’ office. They too had become boring and dull, shifting from one extreme to the next anytime he walked through those doors.

 

He was so lost in thought, he hadn’t even heard the approaching sets of footsteps. At least not until a shiver of warning ran down his spine. At first he thought it was the call of the shadows coming back for him but when he looked up, it was the sight of the three boys from earlier. Two of them had dark brown hair and one was a blonde. The bigger of the three had short brown hair that was spiked up slightly and he appeared to hone in on Chase with an intense set of dark green eyes. The grin from earlier crossed his features when he noticed the suddenly pale complexion on the raven haired boy in the window sill. The blond haired boy glanced between the two, his hair was swept across his forehead and was relatively long. It appeared to Chase that he must have had to keep pulling the long bangs out of his eyes and tucking it off to the side from the mess the locks were in. Either that or he just never combed his hair this morning. The other brunette was much quieter, his hair was long and tied back, his brown eyes held a look of complete disinterest in the situation. Whatever the reason was that they were here in the first place. Either way it put Chase on edge but he tried to play it off by returning a smile to them.

 

“So, you’re the new guy?” The larger of the three questioned.

 

“Hm, Bree was right, you don’t look like much.” The blonde remarked, folding his arms across his chest with a look of disappointment.

 

“Ah ah, Justin, apparently this one’s been giving Dr. Milos quite a bit of trouble. Bree overheard Milos and Roberts saying he was a lost cause. Just can’t be fixed. Milos sounded pretty fed up with it all.” The green eyed male returned, not even giving Chase a chance to speak. He wasn’t really even in the mood to do so. He was over this conversation already and it was completely one sided. He closed his sketchbook and got up to leave but the blonde grabbed him by the shoulder to stop him when the green eyed male spoke up in a playful tone. “Whoa, where do you think you’re going? We’re not done yet. Now what did Bree say your name was, Jace? Grace? Ah, no Chase. That’s what it was.”

 

Chase grunted in response to the statement, rolling his eyes and going to move away from the blond’s touch. Not liking the fact he was holding onto him. “I just want to go back to my room. If you’ll excuse me.” Chase said before attempting a second time to go around them. In a flash, the green eyed male grabbed him this time and pinned him up hard against the wall.

 

“Now that’s no way to treat your friends. We just wanted to introduce ourselves. Maybe even have a little fun on the side. After all, the doctors get to do all they want to us, why don’t we have a little fun together. That wouldn’t be so bad. Haven’t seen you in a while. Bet Milos has been having lots of fun with this body.” The green eyed male’s hands began to run down from Chase’s chest, down one side of his body to caress his hip, then sliding around to his lower back.

 

Chase grunted and pushed against him only to be pinned against the wall even harder. “What are you talking about?” Chase blurted genuinely confused.

 

“What? Has he not touched you since the entrance examination? Pity.” The green eyed male’s face closed the distance between them until his mouth was just hovering beside his ear. He murmured into Chase’s ear. “I’ll tell you a secret. Nobody here ever leaves. They don’t get cured or fixed. All those shitty _treatments_ and _corrective punishments_ is to just make you their perfect obedient pet. You’re here to serve their needs and sate their sadistic desires. They don’t want to help you or even fix you. They’ll simply just break you more but in the ways they want and when they’re bored of you, you end up like the others. Sitting in a chair drooling on yourself, so drugged up and broken you can’t even blink.”

 

Chase felt his breath catch in his throat as the male drew back a little, just enough to see the horrified look on the blue eyed male’s face. He swallowed hard and took a moment before he shook his head furiously. “No, you’re lying. That’s not true.” He glared at the larger male. That couldn’t be true. He was getting better and Dr. Milos promised. He promised he’d help him so he could go home. Go back to his old life and everything would be normal again. Or was he really just fooling himself into believing what he wanted. But he hadn’t seen the shadow in almost a week. That was good. He hasn’t had that kind of peace in a long time. So he had to be wrong. Chase growled, bending a leg just enough to use the wall as leverage so he could push off of it and force the male back. “Get off of me. I don’t want to hear your bullshit.”

 

The green eyed male was surprised by the sudden burst of anger that surged through Chase. His dark eyes narrowed on the smaller male as he watched Chase push past him and start walking away. “You little fucker.” He growled, reaching out and snatching up the long dark locks of Chase’s hair and dragging him back. Chase gasped at the sharp pain jolting through his skull, causing him to drop his sketchbook on the floor and grasp at the hand holding him. A moment later another arm wrapped around his waist and slammed him down into the floor. Chase’s shoulder connected with the tiling, it was enough force to make a crack sound through the air and Chase couldn’t tell if it was his shoulder or the tile beneath him that gave. Before he could collect himself, the grasp on his hair pulled his head up high into the air, jerking it back as the male growled. “Now be a good little bitch and open your mouth for me.”

 

Chase gasped when he saw the other had already slid his trousers down and had his member out in the open. He closed his mouth, locking his jaw shut, a look of defiance in his eyes. “Justin, force his jaw open.” The green eyed male growled. “And I’ll let you take his ass.”

 

The blond, Justin, did as the green eyed man said, moving over to Chase and pressing his thumbs into the spaces where his jaw connected. Adding pressure to the joints until it was too painful to bare. Chase yelped and the male took the opportunity to shove the tip of his manhood into Chase’s mouth. Chase jerked away but the tight grip on his hair forced him to stay in place. He gagged and choked, fighting against them as the intruding limb of flesh filled his mouth, forcing it’s way deeper. Without thinking, Chase bit down on it hard enough to taste blood on his tongue. The green eyed male screamed and pulled out, slamming his face down into the tiles. Chase managed to get enough leverage to get up on his hands and knees until a foot landed into his side, sending him sprawling across the floor. He felt a sudden chill fall over him and saw a flash of darkness in front of his vision. Everything went black and cold, so very cold.

  
  
  
  


Dr. Milos had been walking from his office towards the day room, having heard from one of the staff that Chase had actually decided to go there for the afternoon and stayed. When he reached the room, he couldn’t find Chase anywhere in sight, when he inquired about him with one of the nurses, they told him the boy had gone to walk around the hospital. At the time, Dr. Roberts had also entered the day room to check on her two patients, the twins who were still diligently working away at the puzzle on their table. “How are you doing Tristan?” Roberts asked, noticing her colleague seemed a bit troubled.

 

“I was looking for Chase but…” Tristan’s eyes scanned the room. “Martha, does it seem too empty in here to you.” The brown eyes counted off each of the usual patients and their chosen spots. His eyes narrowed when he noticed the couch was empty and spoke up. “Dr. Felix isn’t doing any sessions with his patients today, is he?” Tristan asked Martha with a look of concern.

 

“No, I don’t even think he’s in today, why?” Martha was perplexed and worried. She looked over where Tristan had been looking and noticed the empty couch as well. Just as a myriad of screams echoed down the halls.

 

Tristan’s eyes widened as he and Martha looked at each other then bolted down the halls towards the sounds. Two orderlies from the day room joined them while the rest kept an eye on the patients and kept things calm. The twins giggled from their seats as they watched the two doctors race off.

 

It didn’t take long for Tristan and Martha to find the source of the sound. They reached the dead end corridor to find Chase standing over one of the three boys under Dr. Felix’s care, his fist balled up in their shirt and holding him up and pinned against the wall. His fist drawn back, prepared to give what appeared to be the final blow. Tristan recognized the posture almost immediately, having faced it way too many times in that small padded room. Martha knew it as well, ordering for the orderlies behind them not to engage the furious and wild eyed patient. The two other boys laid on the ground, groaning, bruised and bloody from the fight. Chase’s own face had bruises on it and blood dripping from his mouth down his chin. The largest of the three boys had a pool of blood coming from his trousers and from first glance it was obvious to Tristan what may have occurred. And they picked the wrong person to gang up on.

 

“Chase!” Tristan said quickly, reaching out to quickly tap his patient’s shoulder. Chase released the male he was holding onto and whirled on Tristan but before he could move to engage, the doctor pressed the button on the remote in his pocket and pushed it up to the max. Chase’s body halted its advance as a startled sound came. He made a low growl and crouched down to the floor. A moment later his knees dropped to the floor the rest of the way and he curled up on the cold tiling, panting heavily. One hand stretched out across the ground and he curled his fingers into the tile, the other was tucked under his body in an attempt to try and remove the ring that was now pulsing wildly. Soft sounds and loud groans escaped his shuddering body. His body writhed against the floor, his legs shifting and stretching before curling back up, his entire body searching for some way to create an outlet for the energy entering but it only added to the building pressure within his groin.

 

After a long couple minutes, Tristan gave the rest of the staff behind him the all clear to go ahead and remove the three boys. They left Chase to him to deal with. He continued to leave the pulsing ring on high as he approached Chase, the hallway looked a mess with blood spatter and the distant screams of the bigger of the three. There was a hole in the wall from someone’s fist, it could have been Chase’s or it could have been one of the other boys since all of them had marks on their hands from the stress of punching a hard surface. Chase’s looked the worst once again with his knuckles split back open over the scars from the first time. What worried him the most was the blood dripping from his mouth, unsure if it was Chase’s own or that of the larger male’s.  He crouched down to the writhing boy and placed a careful hand on his shoulder, rubbing it gently as the soft confused voice came. “Doctor….Milos?” The doctor looked down in time to see Chase’s pleading blue eyes before they rolled back in his head, the young man slipping into unconsciousness. His entire body going slack against the floor and completely stilled. Tristan turned the ring off using the remote and patted Chase’s shoulder softly as he looked around the hall, spotting the sketchbook which had fallen open and got knocked around in the scuffle. The sleeve of color pencils had fallen with it, appearing as if Chase was the one who had gotten attacked first. He got up and picked up both objects, slipping the pencil sleeve into his coat pocket and flipping open the pages. The first few were beautiful sunsets and sunrise scenes with vivid colors that looked like a professional artist had done it. The most recent was the unfinished portrait of the flowers in the vase. Each petal on the page looked real and was so vibrant with a life he hadn’t seen before. As if he could reach out and touch the softness of its delicate petals and the cool smooth stem beneath his fingers. Chase was extremely talented which made it that much more a shame that he was stuck with such a terrible hand in life so suddenly. Even more so to end up in such a state, lying on the ground at his feet. He sighed, closing the sketchbook and pinching the bridge of his nose. Until this matter is sorted out, he still needed to deal with Chase’s behavior. He managed to snap him out of it but he was starting to think he was well overdue for another treatment.

  
  


With the assistance of a nurse and another orderly, they managed to get Chase cleaned up and his wounds treated. Once Dr. Milos got his patient’s clothes off to do a physical examination of his body, he was able to see the full extent of the damage done to him. He was relieved to find they hadn’t managed to go too far in their intentions. Still, Chase had some really large bruises along his ribcage from where he was struck earlier and there were bruises along his hips and back. Signs that they beat him while he was down. He noticed there was also bruising on his scalp from where his hair was pulled harshly. Ideally he would let Chase recover before doing a treatment but if his episodes were coming back, he needed to do it, hoping it would hold off the shadowy specter tormenting his patient. This one would involve the least amount of physical contact between them so as not to accidentally cause him more harm or pain. With a bit more assistance they were able to get him to one of the _Treatment_ rooms on the other side of the building where he could get to work. He used the same room as before except instead of the chair, it was a table with stirrups he had brought in along with the same two carts as before. He strapped Chase’s legs into place with his arms high above his head, he also gave him a light painkiller to take the edge off of it all. He busied himself with fixing up his tools and preparing what would be necessary until his patient woke up.

 

It didn’t take much longer before Chase had come to, a soft groan escaping his lips as he shivered against the cold chill that had settled on the table and across his bare body. He opened his blue eyes with a look of immense confusion, staring up at Dr. Milos from down below. Dr. Milos gazed down at his patient and gave him a soft smile in greeting. “Welcome back, how are you feeling?”

 

Chase shifted on the table, finding his wrists and legs were bound firmly to the straps and stirrups. He looked around, recognizing the room almost immediately and the two carts rested on either side of him. He winced when his squirming agitated the spot he had been kicked, a sharp jolt of pain running through his ribcage. Dr. Milos noticed the twisting of pain on his features and sighed, moving around to Chase’s side and gently stroking the hair back out of his eyes. “I know it hurts. You’re going to be alright. It’s just a bruise. It’ll be sore for a little while.” Chase nodded his understanding, looking up at the older male.

 

“Wh-what happened? I don’t remember.” Chase finally asked, his hands flexing in the restraints, a sharp pain running through his fingers and the back of his hands. His joints were stiff and feeling swollen and hard to move telling him he must have gotten into a fight. Knowing the feeling from the last time he ripped his knuckles open.

 

“We’re not quite sure yet, but there appears to have been a fight. You were caught up in it along with three of Dr. Felix’s patients. Everything is being taken care of and the incident is under investigation.” Dr. Milos explained softly, gently petting Chase’s hair in a comforting gesture. “Don’t worry Chase. This isn’t a punishment. Just another session. I believe it’s been a bit overdue.”

 

Chase tensed up a bit on the table. Dr. Milos simply shook his head at the gesture and spoke as he turned away from the table to address a few things on the cart. “I’ll make this as painless as possible. I know you’re not in the best shape to be doing this and I wouldn’t if I didn’t think it was necessary.” He turned on the bottle from before and placed the mask over Chase’s face. “Deep breaths Chase.” He directed.

 

Chase didn’t try to resist or freak out, he was simply too worn out as is and even with the light pain killer in his system, he was still uncomfortably sore and each strain and motion of his body added to his pain. He took a few deep breathes, getting the steadily growing buzz brimming just beneath his skin. A few more after that and the heat began to roll across his body and rise to the surface. His features flushed as his breath came out in slow huffs. Dr. Milos watched his patient’s condition before deciding to continue on with what he intended. He moved back down to stand between Chase’s legs, drawing the cart with the black box on it closer to him. With a gloved hand, he took up the same white bottle as before with the slim tip and drizzled a little onto his fingertips and used the pad of his fingers to rub slow careful circles around the tight muscles until they relaxed, loosening up for him. He lubricated the opening well before taking the bottle, placing the tip against his patient’s entrance and gave the bottle a light squeeze. A soft gasp came from Chase’s lips and his body squirmed against the table. Milos placed his free hand against Chase’s stomach and rubbed gently. “It’s alright. Just relax. I’m not going to hurt you Chase, you know that. You can trust me.”

 

Chase panted softly, every touch from the doctor only added to his previously hard manhood. The throbbing flesh quickly regained its state soon after he recovered his consciousness and his senses. The hard piece of flesh between his legs was still bound by the tight ring but it remained off for the moment. Dr. Milos watched as Chase shuddered at his touch and withdrew the bottle only to replace it with a single finger. He thrusted it in and out of the male beneath him gaining deep moans and grunts, the gas was doing it’s job and was effectively spread throughout his body, causing every cell and nerve to react to every bit of stimulus Milos gave him. He managed to slip a second finger inside the smaller male’s entrance as he stretched the tight ring out more. He scissored his fingers back and forth, sliding in and out. Chase’s legs tugged at the straps of the stirrups, his hips jerking suddenly when the fingers went too deep inside him and hit the sensitive bundle of nerves. His back arched up off the table with the sudden burst of pleasure shooting through his body, not even bothered by the sharp bolts of pain that joined them as his torso twisted and shuddered, the muscles tightening and pulling in his body. More sounds came but were muffled by the mask over Chase’s face, Milos used them as sounds of encouragement and continued with his motions until his patient had opened up more completely and was relaxed enough to switch to a more consistent method.

 

Dr. Milos withdrew his fingers from Chase and rubbed gentle circles around his abdomen to reassure him that he was doing well. Chase made a soft noise in response to the touch, a cloud had set into his blue eyes as he watched the doctor work. The brown eyed male turned his attention back to the cart and picked up the metallic object attached to the red cable, coating it thoroughly with the oily substance from the bottle. “Now, deep breath Chase. Breath through it and just relax. Don’t fight it.” He waited for Chase to do as he directed, watching the elevated rise and fall of his chest before pressing the silver object inside his patient, directing it so it was snug against the bundle of nerves inside, gaining a moan in response. He waited a moment for Chase to adjust to the feeling of the new intrusion before reaching over to the box and turning the switch. The arrow on the meter moved, rising up to the first notch. A steady hum came from the object inside the male causing Chase to gasped sharply, his body straining against the restraints. “You’re doing good Chase. Just relax into it.” He waited a few more minutes, watching the male squirm and writhe on the table, his brown eyes narrowing as Chase shook his head at the words. He reached into his pocket and pressed the button on the small remote, eliciting a sudden cry out from Chase. It was loud enough to break through the muffle of the mask.

 

The sound was enough to startle the doctor momentarily, looking over his patient who seemed to fight against the restraints even more. “Chase, calm down. It’s alright. Everything is going to be alright-”

 

But Dr. Milos was cut off abruptly by jagged words in anger. “It’s not going to fucking be alright! Don’t tell me these lies! No more!” He cried out, trying to keep his voice steady but the heavy waves of the vibrations rolling through his body made it that much harder. A sharpness had crossed those clouded blue pools as Chase’s thoughts turned towards what the large green eyed male had said earlier. Chase felt betrayed, as if everything he had said was coming true. Milos didn’t care. If he did, he wouldn’t be doing this to Chase right now. The pain was strong, even beneath the rippling of the pleasure and it was too much to ignore.

 

“Chase!” Dr. Milos’ voice took on a colder tone, as did his stare. Any attempt at the previous warmth he had been showing his patient had been shattered. He wasn’t going to let this get out of hand or let Chase lose his temper like this. “What is wrong with you?”

 

It seemed like an odd enough argument since it was interrupted by angry shouts and broken by moans of pleasure. His body quivered and spasmed as the stimulation from both silver objects pushed him over into an orgasm that wracked his body but Chase couldn’t enjoy it and all it was was a nuisance. It only added to his discomfort and his anger as his body was used against his will for Dr. Milos’ own amusement. But as that question came about, swirling around the air between them, Milos could see in his patient’s eyes that that was the wrong thing to say. “You know damn well what’s wrong with me but instead of fixing it you’re just fucking with me. You lied! You fucking lied!” Chase’s words started to break the more wound up he was becoming. The anger was quickly snuffed out to be replaced by a sudden wave of despair. His battered body writhing on the table as frustration mixed in with his voice. He was tormented by the angry storm of emotions raging inside him all fighting to get out all at once and he couldn’t sort them out or untangle them with the stimulation from the ring and the massager. He tilted his head enough to managed to push the mask off of his face, breathing in the fresh air of the room to help clear out the fuzzy haze in his mind the gas caused. Dr. Milos reached out to Chase but was halted by the sudden outcry. “Don’t touch me!”

 

His eyes rose up to meet his patient’s gaze as a sudden onslaught of tears streamed from those blue pools, trapped and warped into pits of despair. The young raven haired male shuddered, his lithe naked body wracked with the coming sobs, shuddering on the metal table. His bound hands fighting the restraints with the urge to cover his face, ashamed of himself for losing the firm grip he had on his emotions. The tight swirling ball of frustration had built up to the point of exploding, ripping out of his chest in broken sentences. “I don’t want to ….li- live like this ah-anymore.” He could barely manage to keep his words together long enough to leave his lips. “I want to go home. I want my old life back. I’m tired of feeling so fucking helpless all the time.” The words spilled from his lips, mixed with more sobs and tears. Dr. Milos stood above the broken male, his cold facade had cracked at the sight of his patient falling so hard into a dark void he couldn’t control. The hurricane of feelings made his chest tight, the pressure building up, feeling as if he was suffocating even though he was gasping in the fresh air. Dr. Milos didn’t quite know what to do in this situation. He flipped off the switches to the devices, his gaze had softened as he moved closer to his patient, testing the boundaries. But Chase was so wrapped up with the gasping sobs, he barely noticed when the restraints holding his wrists were released, freeing his hands. The same went for the stirrups which Chase instinctively curled up in search of his own form of comfort. Drawing his knees and his hands up against his chest. His back to the doctor who was at a loss for words. He didn’t know what had gotten into his patient but he had a feeling it may have had something to do with the fight earlier that day.

 

He removed the device from inside Chase and expanded the ring with a subtle twist of his hand. A sharp gasp came from Chase’s lips but that was all the sound that came as he released the pressure building up inside him. His body relaxed only a little as the tears continued to fall. Dr. Milos understood that Chase would be angry, that sooner or later there would be only so much he could take. And it wasn’t that it would have to do with his stay at the hospital, however forced it was, but Milos had thought what would bring it about was the fact he had some a great happy life and all of it was snatched away so suddenly by something as cruel as a hallucination he couldn’t control. Something he had no power against and the anger and frustration would build at the helpless powerless feeling inside him. But it would seem the breaking point for it all wasn’t that but the fact that Milos had somehow lied and betray the trust he had built with his patient. He didn’t quite know what exactly it was that Chase thought he had betrayed him over or lied to him about but it hurt all the same. Seeing as the fact he was the trigger for his patient’s break down.

 

Dr. Milos waited a long time for Chase to cease his tears. His hand gently stroking the hair out of his face when he reached a silence. Chase’s struggle to breath had settled to the odd gasp and shuddering breathes. Milos sighed, relieved that Chase didn’t try to push him away or fight  him off. Instead he accepted the light touches. Still, he was worried for his patient’s mental state, even though the tears stopped, he wasn’t out of the woods yet. Dr. Milos directed Chase to sit up but he didn’t move. He was like a lifeless doll, his red puffy eyes gazing off at the distances, fixed on one specific thing that Milos couldn’t see. He knew it couldn’t have been the shadows since Chase’s body was too limp for that. When the specter appeared he was tense and trembling. But his shakiness now was from the hard cry he went through. He managed with quite a bit of effort to get him cleaned up, wiping down his body and tightening the right a little so it remained firmly in place then put him in a clean pair of boxers and a white t-shirt. Dr. Milos attempted to get Chase to sit up but he wouldn’t respond. He wouldn’t move, his body lifeless as if his consciousness had left it. With a deep sigh, he scooped the boy up into his arms and carried him back to his corridor, placing him in an empty room. With the way Chase was acting, he was too afraid of what he might do to himself if he were to put the boy in his own room and it would be too bothersome to have everything pulled out of the room. So for the night, Chase was left in an empty room, curled up on the floor, staring off at the wall with a distant look in his eyes. It pained Milos to leave him like that, his eyes searching the pitiful figure for some form of life or a sign that he was alright but he might as well have been dead. He released a deep breath he hadn’t realized he was holding and shut the door behind him, locking it tight before heading down the empty quiet hall. One hand rubbing the back of his neck in exasperation from all the troublesome excitement he was forced to deal with. The day had started out so promising and Chase was doing so good. But of course the universe just couldn’t give the kid a break. That would be too damn easy.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up. This won't be updated for at least a month. I'm getting slammed with events and major projects for the next month or so and I've been funneling all of my attention into those as well as working on a series of fanfictions for another fandom. So until I have time to get back to my muse with Dr. Milos and Chase, this will be on hold for a little while.

“Where is he?” Dr. Felix, a tall broad shouldered middle aged man with slicked back blond hair demanded. He was the oldest doctor in the hospital. Almost twice the age of Dr. Milos who had no sooner stepped out of the treatment rooms. He held Chase’s sketchbook in hand, having accidentally forgotten it in the middle of the night and since the orderlies had yet to clean up the room, he knew it would remain undisturbed. It was early still and he hoped all would still be asleep but not Felix. Felix was furious at the fact he was called to the hospital so late at night to deal with all three of his patients being injured. Milos had hardly gotten any sleep at all himself, feeling the heavy weight of Chase’s words barreling down on him as he laid on the sofa in his office. He didn’t dare leave the hospital with his patient in such a state so he remained where he could quickly respond if there was an emergency but so far nothing arose. He was stopped suddenly by the larger male whose voice was unbearably loud so early in the morning and barked demands at him so rudely. He brushed passed the blond and continued on his way. “Tristan! Where is he? I demand you show me where he is right now.”

 

By ‘ _He’_ he meant Chase and there was no way in hell Milos was going to let anyone touch his patient. He knew Felix had a temper on him which was ironic given he dealt with a lot of the ill behaved patients such as his three which were compulsive, self-destructive and had unpredictable bouts of violence. Except for Zac, he was a voluntary mute. He didn’t speak to anybody. And that was also part of his problem. “Felix, what do you intend to accomplish if I tell you where my patient is?”

 

“That’ll be between me and him.” Felix growled. Those words made something snap inside of Tristan and in a heartbeat he whirled on his colleague and pinned him against the wall. One hand slamming into his sternum and holding him firmly in place. Felix’s hazel eyes were wide and shocked as the usual stoic facade of his colleague broke with a fierce look of predatory anger.

 

“No, that’ll be between you and me. You’re not to touch my patient. You’re not to go near him without my permission. Understood?” Tristan snarled. Chase was his and his alone. He wouldn’t stand for this sort of behavior, least of all from another doctor. Felix opened his mouth to protest but Tristan cut him off, adding more pressure to the hand pinning the larger man. “ **Am I understood?** ” He demanded in a darker tone. His brown eyes nearly black from the shadow of anger that fell over them. Felix nodded furiously until Tristan released him.

 

“He’s feral you know that. You can’t control him.” Felix called as Tristan turned away, walking with hasteful steps. Tristan stopped and turned to face Felix, tossing a dark glare in his direction, causing the larger male to shrink away from him. To be honest, the wild look in the brown eyed doctor’s expression matched much of Chase’s own when he lost control. The scarier part was the fact that Tristan was fully in control when it came out, breaking through the icy facade. With an annoyed huff, he resumed walking briskly back to his patient’s room. If Chase was doing better emotionally, he would then move him to the recovery room before he could go back to his own. If he wasn’t doing better...well Tristan didn’t want to think about that possibility yet. He was afraid of the nightmarish scenes his mind painted of what he might open that door to find come morning.

 

He hesitated when reaching for the door knob, taking a deep breath in preparation before pushing it open the rest of the way. His brown eyes crossed the room, scanning it for any sign of his patient. The spot in which Chase had been left the night before was empty, causing Dr. Milos to step forward, looking around at the emptiness, feeling a sudden tightness in his chest grip his lungs. Until he felt a light tug on the back of his jacket, causing him to look down. An arm had been reaching out, fingers curling into the white fabric. Following it he found Chase huddled up in the corner directly beside the door. His white clothing made him blend in with the rest of the room well enough that his peripheral vision overlooked him. Dr. Milos ignored the door that he left wide open and crouched down so that he was eye level with his patient. The bruises on his face and body had gotten worse since the day before, becoming more prominent against Chase’s pale skin. He looked sick and worn out. As if he hadn’t slept in days. He wondered if maybe the pain of his injuries was causing him trouble. Without a thought, he cupped Chase’s chin and glanced over his face thoughtfully. “How are you feeling today Chase?”

 

Chase shrugged in response, his eyes not only looked tired but also sad. And his skin was ice cold to the touch. “It hurts.” Chase’s voice sounded weak and hoarse which he assumed it was probably from the incident in the _Treatment_ room the night before that caused it.

 

Dr. Milos was glad to see his patient wasn’t fighting his touch today and that he was accepting the close contact. To his surprise, Chase even leaned into it but after a moment he figured it had to be because his touch was warm and the room felt unbearably cold. “Here, let’s get you to the Recovery room to get fixed up.” Milos held his hand out to Chase. To his immense pleasure, Chase accepted it and pulled himself back up onto his feet with a groan of pain. He lifted his shirt to show the massive bruises across his ribs and torso. Milos gave a tired sigh in response to the unsavory sight. He place a gentle reassuring arm around his patient’s shoulders and started guiding him out of the room. “Oh, almost forgot. Here.” He had still been carrying around Chase’s sketchbook. He handed it over to his patient whose dull blue eyes seemed to gain a sudden small light spark at the sight of the object. He took it with a bandaged hand and drew it close to his chest in a protective gesture. Milos also pulled the pencil pouch from his coat pocket, a sound of appreciation that seemed close enough to a grunt came in response.

 

The walk to the recovery room was a long and quiet one to which Milos decided to disturb about halfway to. “Chase, I wanted to ask, do you remember anything from the fight you had with those boys?” Milos turned his head slightly to watch for a response from his patient but nothing really came. He still held the look of sadness. As if somebody had drained all the color and life out of his body.

 

After a long pause and nearly no reaction, Tristan was going to push the question again when he heard Chase speak. “Not really, no.” Then another long pause of silence came.

 

Milos sighed. “That can’t be helped then. Dr. Felix is very upset. They say you bit Leander.” The fact of the bite wasn’t the issue but moreso the location of said bite. Dr. Milos knew Chase wouldn’t willingly go near such a place on a person’s body, especially with the intention to bite. Chase had to have been forced into it especially since he could barely stand certain foods and even something as simple as his meds in his mouth. So he knew he wouldn’t be able to bite somebody like that and stand it. But before he could discuss the incident further with his patient, Dr. Roberts came walking down the hall from the entrance of the recovery room. An orderly was standing behind her as she gestured for Dr. Milos’ attention.

 

“Take Chase in to get settled in and taken care of.” She directed the orderly who took over guiding the young man the rest of the short distance to the room. Chase looked up at Milos just before entering the white double doors. A worried look on his face but Milos gave him a warm reassuring smile before the raven haired boy disappeared through the threshold.

 

“Alright Martha, what’s going on?” His warm smile turned serious and hard when he addressed his colleague.

 

“Security managed to pull up the tape for the camera facing the hallway yesterday. It caught the whole incident. You’ll want to see this.” Martha assured but her expression wasn’t a cheery one. It held a serpent of anger and disgust slithering just beneath the surface. “Felix will be watching it as well.” Martha explained as she led Milos towards the security room. The doors had special locks on them using the key cards and a six digit pin. The door clicked open to show a room with several servers and computer monitors. One large monitor had the camera number in the upper left corner of the screen with a timestamp and date on it. Dr. Felix as well as the two security guards were already present. Felix was in the middle of demanding they show him the footage first when the other two doctors showed up.

 

“We’re all going to watch it together Felix. So there's no misunderstandings.” Martha interjected before motioning for the guards to roll the footage. Felix sneered in annoyance but didn’t say anything more. They all watched as Chase entered the hallway alone with his sketchbook in hand. Following him to the window where he sat to draw but ended up staring out at the courtyard below. They sped ahead several minutes to when Leander, Justin and Zac walked down the hall towards Chase. They saw how Chase attempted to leave the situation twice before Leander and Justin refused to let him pass. Then as Leander threw Chase into the floor. Dr. Milos felt his blood boil at the way Leander jerked Chase’s head around by the hair then forced his member into his mouth. He gritted his teeth in anger even as he saw Chase bite the boy. Even so, Dr. Felix was cursing Chase for biting his patient.

 

“Your patient is wild! He deserves a straight jacket and a muzzle. Just like you Milos.” Felix blurted angrily. His words spit out like tacks, directed solely on Tristan.

 

Dr. Milos didn’t take too kindly to his words. “You bastard!” He snatched his colleague up by his shirt collar and pulled him closer. “Look what your patients did to mine. I think they deserved what he did to them. If you so much as touch Chase or even look at him, I will make your life a living fucking hell. You hear me?” His words were laced with venom and the cold hard look in his eyes told them, not just Felix but everyone in the room that Tristan meant every word he said. The icy look he gave the blond before him was cold enough to chill the room. Leaving everyone frozen in shock towards Tristan’s reaction. He was never one to lose his cool, not like that and especially not on one of his colleagues. He released Felix’s shirt and turned on his heels, catching only a glance of the monitor which showed Chase wailing on Leander and Justin, then walked hastily out of the room.

 

Nobody dared to chase after him, knowing well if they did, it would only lead to more trouble. So they let him go. Which was perfectly fine for Dr. Milos as his intended direction at the moment wasn’t the recovery room where Chase was, but back to the solitude of his own office. There he shut himself off from the rest of the people in the hospital. He was tempted to leave and take the day off, but that wouldn’t be fair to Chase who needed him the most at the moment. So instead he took his solitary moments where he could, using his office as the best time away to himself. Closing his eyes just to rest them for a little while, taking a long slow deep breath to unwind the tension in his body and come down from the previous excitement.

  
  


Meanwhile, Dr. Roberts took it upon herself to check up on Chase in the recovery room and at least see if he needed anything. She knew Tristan would keep to himself for a little while until he could calm down. Dr. Felix had stormed off as well. She prayed the two of them would stay clear of each other for the next couple days. Even more so to keep their patients away from each other which wouldn’t be much trouble given the fact Felix’s boys were going to be in isolation for a few days due to their behavior. She was relieved to find out that Chase wasn’t the cause of this incident, she was worried after Tristan had had such a breakthrough with him and she’d hate for all that to have been for naught.

 

She found Chase sitting up in one of the beds, the one nearest the windows on the far side of the room. On her way inside, a nurse had mentioned to her that he had requested the spot and as she approached, she found him with a pencil in hand. His eyes fixed out the window as he gazed off into the distance, his thoughts seemed to have run off with him, leaving his hand frozen in mid stroke across the page. He was drawing the dreary winter landscape, this time with a normal pencil, his fingertips smudged from working on the shadows and a rough outline of a large barren oak had been erected. The oak was on the far side of the hospital, opposite side of the courtyard and was usually one of the first things to greet the patients being transported from another facility. There were several small flower beds but they were obscured from view by twig like bushes and the thick blanketing of fallen leaves. The morning frost had begun to thaw from the corners of the windows as the day moved closer to the afternoon.

 

“How are you feeling today Chase?” Dr. Roberts asked, her eyes roaming over the younger male’s bandaged hands, surprised he was still able to hold the pencil with such ease and work with his hands injured like that. His knuckles were swollen and the bandages were sticking to the places where the skin was broken, even though they were fresh, Dr. Roberts could assume the changing of the bandages may have irritated the scabbed flesh. With a soft sigh, she sat down beside the young man’s bed in a chair. His attention didn’t waver from the window but his hand twitched with the pencil showing he was listening.

 

He slowly turned away from the window after another minute of gazing out at the landscape, his eyes falling upon his sketch with a saddened look. A flicker of sympathy in those blue orbs as if he could link his current predicament to that of the deathly landscape. The cold barren trees, seemingly lifeless. He appeared to be the only one paying them any attention, noticing the change of their condition as the seasons pass by. When he did finally speak, his voice was soft, nearly a whisper with a raspy edge at the end as if he hadn’t spoken much in a while. Which given the past couple days, she couldn’t blame him if he didn’t want to. “I could be better.” His words held a small bit of irony to them, it wasn’t spoken with intention to wound or sarcasm but with a tired sigh. As if from someone feeling defeat in the moment. Like any energy he was determined to muster in the past to exhibit in the presence of others had wilted and blown away on the wind. His eyes traced the outlines of the picture before him for a few long and silent heartbeats before he released another long sigh and closed his sketchbook, letting it rest in his lap. Even though he wasn’t using it, he still felt no desire to part with it. Even for a moment. “Where’s Dr. Milos?”

 

Dr. Roberts had been expecting the question so she answered it as honestly as she could without saying too much to her colleague’s patient. She wasn’t sure if Dr. Milos was this open with Chase or not. “He’s had a long night so he’s taking some time to tend to some things of his own that need his attention.”

 

Chase’s head lowered a bit, his dark locks falling down to create a curtain that hid his face from view. He raised one hand to cover his forehead, propping his head up on his elbow. His shoulders slumped and he just seemed tired overall. As if he hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep all night. His body drained of it’s energy and barely keeping itself upright in the bed. It was clear to see in how easily distracted Chase was, or how he slipped in and out of long thoughtful silences. But the next words from the young man weren’t the ones Dr. Roberts was expecting. “He’s upset with me isn’t he?”

 

“What makes you say that?” Dr. Roberts asked incredulously. Her eyes scanning over the way Chase held himself. “Chase?”

 

“Dr. Felix was mad at him because of me. So he’s mad at me now, isn’t he?” That’s why you’re here instead of him.” Chase pointed out without looking up at the blonde haired doctor.

 

“Chase, that’s not true. Yes, Dr. Felix is upset but he’ll get over it. Dr. Milos would never blame you for that.” Chase only seemed to slink down further into his little ball of despair so she continued, hoping to change his mind on the situation. “What happened yesterday wasn’t your fault. You didn’t start the fight. You were simply defending yourself. There’s no reason for you to blame yourself and Dr. Milos certainly doesn’t blame you.”

 

Chase looked up for a moment to meet her gaze. There was pain in those eyes. Disbelief was heavy in those blue depths. It made Dr. Roberts feel for the young man. She really did. She sighed and gave him a reassuring smile. “I promise, when he gets his work done, he’ll come to see you later today.” She stood up from her seat and placed a gentle comforting hand on his shoulder. “In the meantime, you should get some rest. You look like you haven’t slept.”

 

“It hurts too much to sleep.” Chase said, turning his gaze up to Dr. Roberts. His body was still bruised up quite a bit, the swelling in his face and jaw was going down with the help of the painkillers but they were slow to kick in without giving him anything too heavy.

 

“What part hurts Chase?” she asked and he responded by reaching down and lifting his shirt to show the large dark streaks of bruising across his ribs. From the video she witnessed just that morning, it made sense with how much they kicked him in the side. She was just amazed he had no broken or cracked ribs. But the bruises were very tender and covered just about every side of his body making laying comfortably about near impossible. “I know it hurts Chase, but you have to at least try to get some sleep. The medicine will kick in and everything will feel much better. Can you at least try, please?” She asked in a motherly tone, like one that would be used for a small sick child. Which at the moment, that’s just how Chase looked. Like a small sickly child. He was pale and there were dark circles underneath his eyes. He looked like he had the life sucked out of him, barely hanging onto the thread of consciousness. But after a moment, Chase nodded slowly and shifted in the bed with Dr. Roberts’ help to get more comfortable. She took his sketchbook and sat it on the bedside table where he could reach it, along with the pencil pouch. “There you go. Now get some rest. You’ll feel a lot better.” She lingered for a little while longer until she was certain Chase had fallen asleep. She got up quietly and slipped out of the room to speak in private to the nurse tending to Chase so she could pass on the young man’s current condition to Dr. Milos.

  
  
  
  


_“He’s not eating again.” Dr. Robert’s voice echoed down the long silent halls of the hospital. It was late and the night was growing colder. A storm was raging outside the hospital and they were understaffed. Something about the storms always got the patients riled up so all the rooms were put on lockdown. Tristan walked down the long white washed hall of the hospital with Martha at his side. The patient in question was a young man named Zeke. He was a classic case of anorexia mixed in with depression. He had some instances of self-harm but the forced vomiting was doing more damage than the usual superficial cuts he tallied his arms and legs with. He even started along his rib cage over top of each rib at one point but being in the hospital ceased that behavior. Now it was just the vomiting and refusing to eat. At first Tristan thought Zeke was getting better. His pale complexion was gaining color and he had gained a couple pounds, but then it all went downhill again. That’s when Tristan found out Zeke’s trigger for these harmful behaviors was a hallucination that taunted him. It pointed out all of his flaws and failures. When things got good, that hallucination would appear and tear down all of his progress._

 

_Tristan tried everything to help Zeke. This was sort of his specialty. Breaking patients out of the illusions their minds created but everything he tried didn’t work. Or if it did, it was only temporary or Zeke would soon build a tolerance to that as well. Medications, treatment, all of it. Both common practices and their more unorthodox ones. But nothing seemed to work, or at least not for long before the young man was refusing once again. “He collapsed again yesterday in the day room. He was dehydrated and his blood sugar dropped too low.’ Tristan’s voice sounded tired and worn out. He’s lost plenty of sleep over this young man. He had never had one so stubborn or troublesome._

 

_“What are you going to do?” Martha asked._

 

 _“That’s a good question.” Tristan sighed as he thought it over. If nothing he was doing was working, he may have to give up care of Zeke to another doctor. With hopes they could help the boy. Otherwise he may just lose Zeke to his affliction. They couldn’t just force feed the young man. They tried that before and he nearly suffocated in an attempt to regurgitate the food. I.V drips could only do so much but the damage was getting worse with each passing day. It was getting to the point the young man was a walking skeleton. It was painful to look at every single day. Even more so when that same broken skeletal figure would give him a smile of greeting. As if all the pain and suffering he was putting himself through was non-existent. When he smiled at Tristan, it was the most genuine and beautiful smile he’s ever seen. He hated it, seeing that smile. It ripped at his heart every time. It hurt. Because he knew he was receiving a glimpse of that delicate beauty that no one else was ever graced with to witness. It was like Zeke was telling Tristan he was one step closer to being the beautiful blessed angel he was meant to be. He wasn’t made for this world. He wasn’t cut out for its cruelties and the fact each day was another day closer to death seemed to elate the young man._ **_He was an angel long overdue to return home._ **

 

_Tristan stopped in his tracks and ran his hand over his face. That thought alone made his throat burn harshly and his eyes start to blur up. He didn’t know why this one was bothering him so much. He’s never had a case affect him the way Zeke was. But then again, he’s never had a case he hasn’t been able to help before. He felt so helpless to do anything and he didn’t want to fail Zeke. But was he really helping by keeping him here? If Zeke was hurting so much with every passing day just by staying here, what right did he have to make him to remain in misery and force that smile upon his face? That smile wouldn’t be the same. It would be warped and he may never see it’s truth ever again._

 

_“Tristan? Are you alright?” Martha inquired. She had stopped moments later, turning part way to face her colleague. Concern was crystal clear on her features._

 

_He took a deep breath and forced himself to swallow the rough ball of emotion welling up within his throat. He nodded, giving Martha a reassuring smile, a lie upon his face but he couldn’t help it. “Yeah, just tired is all. Haven’t been sleeping lately.”_

 

_“I don’t blame you. This one’s gotta be pretty rough.” Martha tilted her head to the side and watched as Tristan started walking again. He ran his fingers through his dark locks and ended it by resting his hand on the back of his neck, rubbing it tenderly and stretching it. “Maybe you should head home.”_

 

_“Nah, I’m going to finish my rounds and probably try to get some sleep in my office. I don’t want to leave with this storm going on in case there’s an emergency.” He explained. Martha nodded her understanding. “By the way, did anyone ever figure out who broke the vase in the dayroom?” A few weeks back a vase was found shattered in the center of the day room without anybody around it and when they spoke to the other patients, nobody knew who did it. They chalked it up to simply just an accident in the end._

 

_“No, not yet.” Martha sighed as they kept walking. They gave quiet parting words before splitting up at the fork in the hallway. She turned back towards the dayroom and he bypassed the corridor that looked out over the courtyard and continued down towards the rooms of his patients. Well, his only current patient being Zeke. He normally only had one at a time which he was thankful for because dealing with another patient at the same time would probably wear him down to nothing. He occasionally had to seek out Dr. Felix’s assistance given this was more his specialty since all of his patient’s had anger issues or depression. He also sought out a second opinion often from his colleagues, afraid his actions might unknowingly make things worse. But much like him, they were all at wits end and were merely grasping at straws._

 

_There came a deep rumbling of thunder from outside that felt as if it had shook the entire building before a mighty crack of lightning lit the darkness into daylight for several seconds. It startled Tristan, causing him to look up, finding himself standing before Zeke’s room. He sighed, contemplating entering to check on him. He didn’t want to disturb his patient’s sleep since that seemed to be about the only thing that he didn’t miss out on. But then again, he was so weak all the time, that was just about the only thing he could do successfully. He chuckled to himself, he doubted after that last bit of thunder that anyone would be sleeping so he figured it might not hurt to open the door a little bit and peer inside. If he did wake him, then he’d simply apologize and maybe Zeke would even draw him into a few hours of quiet conversation like he liked to do._

 

_He took out his keys and unlocked the door, opening just slightly. The room was unusually dark, as if no light at all was coming from the small window on the wall. He couldn’t see a thing. So he opened the door wider, hoping the dim hallway light would help and that’s when he realized why the room was so dark. The bed had been flipped upright and pressed back against the wall. The sheets were ripped off of it into strips and tied together to form a rope. A limp skeletal form hung from that rope which was tied so tightly to the upper bars of the metal bed frame. It remained, swaying ever so slightly from the bed._

 

_Tristan threw the door open wide and screamed. “Help!” He cried out as he rushed into the room. One hand slipping into his pocket, finger pounding against the emergency button on his fob. He grabbed at the limp form with one arm, his body was so light he could easily lift it. Raven hair long and tangled, hanging down over the gaunt sunken in facial structure of the form. He lifted with one arm while his other hand fought with the sheets to unbind them. Finally he had to let go of Zeke and use both hands to untangle the knots. The limp form fell to the floor, lying in a heap at his feet. He unraveled the sheets from around the young man’s neck, hoping he wasn’t too late. The young man’s mouth opened and Tristan held a sliver of hope but what came was not a gasp of breath but the gushing of blood, pooling up and spilling out of his mouth. Shards of glass was mixed in, pieces that looked to have delicate inscriptions in them and he wondered if it was from the broken vase they found in the day room a few weeks ago.They never found out who did it but it looked just like the shards of glass that had been cleaned up by one of the orderlies. As he laid the figure down, more and more of the crimson liquid gushed from the gaping maw of his patient. The shards tearing up the insides of his mouth and the damage could be seen in his throat from the lack of flesh on his bones. Tristan placed a hand over Zeke’s stomach and pressed down and could feel the hard jagged pieces inside the tiny body. Zeke made certain, even if he was stopped from hanging himself, that he was going to die either way._

 

_Tristan hit the emergency button again but still no sound of help came. He swept away the long dark locks from the deep sockets of the young man’s eyes. Smearing prints of blood across pale flesh. He felt his eyes start to blur and well up. The rough ball of emotion he had so successfully vanquished earlier came back in full force. Hitting him hard. He heard the sound of movement near him, causing him to look up, hopeful that it was help but found nothing but empty hallway. When he turned back to Zeke, pale ice blue eyes stared back at him. Wide and empty of any life or light. The mouth of the young man opened and more blood spilled out. The boney hands clenched tightly to the doctor’s blood stained coat. Holding him in place with a strength the young man hadn’t been able to portray in life in a long time. Tristan’s own brown eyes widened in terror as ghastly gurgles fell from those lips and it took him a minute to realize that words were mixed in with them. The blood pooling and spilling out from his mouth, an endless geyser of speech and crimson. “Why…..didn’t...you…..save….me?”_

 

_Tristan opened his mouth to speak but those icy eyes stared deeply into his own, causing him to freeze in place. The terror was clear as day on his face. “You….did...this...to...me..”_

 

_“I-....I didn’t-”_

 

_“LIES!” The gurgling sound erupted with a splattering of blood across Tristan’s face as Zeke choked on a particularly large piece of glass that made it’s way up his throat, cutting through the flesh into the open air. The blood that filled his insides started pooling out from there as well as dripping from his eye sockets. The ice blue overtaken by the nearly black thick liquid. Tristan was frozen, unable to get away. Unable to tell himself to flee. He couldn’t let go of the young man, even as the horror of what he was seeing was burned into his mind. He couldn’t escape it no matter what he did. He heard the door to the room slam shut and then felt the skeletal fingers grip his shoulders tightly, squeezing almost painfully. His body started to shake and he couldn’t figure out what was happening as the room was shrouded in a thick blanket of darkness._

  


“Tristan! Wake up. Tristan!” Dr. Roberts called to the young doctor lying asleep on the couch. He looked pale and when she entered his office, he was mumbling something beneath his breath and was thrashing in his sleep. By the look of his REM, he was having a rather vivid dream. His body would twitch in odd ways and his breathing was elevated, coming out in quick short huffs. His entire body was tense and she wasn’t sure she should have physical contact with him in is state but he wasn’t waking up to verbal interaction. She shook his shoulder gently at first but that didn’t seem to do it. So she gripped both of his shoulders firmly and shook him. His eyes started to open part way but then they slipped shut again. He was fighting it, whatever was going on. She sighed and did it again, with a bit more voice as she called out to him again. “Tristan!”

 

This time his eyes started to open and she continued to call his name. She got a grunt in response at first then a sharp gasp of surprise as his eyes opened the rest of the way. He blinked a few times, his head turning in all directions, confusion clear as day on his face as he tried to regain his senses and surroundings. “Wha…?” He asked in confusion as he pulled himself up into a sitting position. He glanced around, taking in the sight of his office and released a long deep breath. Though Dr. Roberts wasn’t sure if it was a calming breath or one of relief with how terrified his eyes were upon waking up. She wasn’t sure if she should push the matter knowing Tristan preferred to remain rather private with these sort of things. Rarely ever seeking out counsel from others when it came to his own problems or worries. But she hasn’t seen him like this in a long time. Not since Zeke and it made her worry. Especially since that had taken a really big toll on him to the point he had to take an extended leave of absence. Chase was his first patient since that incident nearly a year ago. Of course, when he came back to work, he simply assisted others here and there which is where his working relationship with Dr. Felix became strained. Mostly over the Zeke incident since Dr. Felix badgered him about screwing up so badly to cost someone their life. They’ve come to blows more than once since then, both within the workplace and even a few times outside of it.

 

But it would seem it wasn’t just something as simple as their feud that had him agitated. It was something much deeper and she wasn’t sure it would be wise to pry but it would be even less wise to leave it be and watch it fester within him helplessly. “Are you alright? You seem upset.” Martha asked softly. She tried to give him her kindest smile but by the look on his face, he could see the pity in her eyes. She hadn’t meant to upset him further but that seemed to be all her question did as he turned, sliding his legs off the couch and planting his feet firmly on the floor. He leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees and holding his head in his hands.

 

He took a long shuddering breath as he tried to disbanded the images that were fixed in his head, melted to the backs of his eyes. Even with them opened, he could see the bloodied face of his last charge. He rubbed at his eyes, running his hands over his face and up into his hair and sniffling softly. He cleared his throat a few times before speaking finally. “I’m just tired. Haven’t been sleeping.” He glanced up at her, earthy orbs resting on her slender figure draped in the usual white coat. Martha’s seemed a bit too big for her today, either that or he was just imagining it. “Is something wrong with Chase?” He inquired, a sudden jolt of worry grasped his heart as Zeke’s words repeated in his mind. He shook them away and ruffled up his hair a bit in exasperation, just wishing the sneaking tendrils of his nightmares would disappear already.

 

“No, he’s fine. He’s settled into the recovery room. He was sleeping when I left. He asked about you. He’s worried.” She informed her colleague, hoping the mentioning of the young man would help ease Tristan into a better mood.

 

A slight smile tugged at the corner of Dr. Milos’ lips but it didn’t hang there long as he got up from his spot. His tall muscular form stretching out, gaining comfortable pops and a groan from his body. He wasn’t wearing his coat. It was just a pair of dark slacks and his usual professional attire of a dress shirt and tie. Though at the moment his tie was crooked. Martha smiled softly, giving a quiet laugh as she moved closer to him and fixed it, straightening the navy blue fabric against the starched white collar. “Thanks.” He said softly, raising a brow at her gesture but he nodded, understanding his clothes may have been a little worn looking after having slept for several hours. “I’ll go see him now.” He glanced down at his watch, noticing it was nearly dinner time for the patients and figured he’d come baring gifts of a nice hot meal. He might even try to talk the cook into throwing a few treats in their to stray from Chase’s usual bland and sparse diet. That maybe that would brighten the young man’s otherwise miserable day or last few days.

 

“Good, we’re all worried about you. Even Felix though he doesn’t show it. He’s simply too stubborn. Like an old root in a plow field.” She said, her voice taking on an uncharacteristically less professional tone. It was more casual and friendly, something Tristan rarely ever got to hear, especially since her voice took on it’s natural smooth and relaxed tone. The side of her that screamed country roots. Much like her similes. When she first started in this profession, she got a lot of shit over her roots since she wasn’t a city girl and it was clear as day in how she talked. Tristan had worked with her for years before he got to hear the truth of her voice slip up. And it took a few drinks late at night to finally get that to come out.

 

“I know and i appreciate that you’re worried. But there’s no reason to. I promise.” He placed his hands over hers which were still holding onto the base of his tie. She sighed and let go, slipping them away from his touch and back down at her sides.

 

Her body straightened out and he voice went back to it’s normal professionalism. “I see. Then since I’ve done my part and delivered the message, I should get back to work.” With that she gave him a slight nod and walked out of the room. Silence followed heavily after that. A silence Dr. Milos didn’t want any part of. He sighed deeply and glanced at the clock once more. He needed to go check on Chase. He hadn’t seen him since first thing that morning and he was worried about the young man since his break down during their session and the fact he barely spoke more than two sentence that morning when he was normally rather social with Tristan as of lately. He gave himself a quick once over to ensure his clothes looked presentable though they were slept in and grabbed his white coat from the coat rack, shrugging it on and closing his eyes, his hands patted at the crisp clean white material but his mind painting it red from his nightmare. He shook the thoughts from his head and left his office, hoping to leave the specter of fear behind with it.


End file.
